Among the Guests Registered 255 



and ebony made more contrasting by white on the wings- 

 flashing brilliance in a sunlit valley, legs clinging to rushes, 

 head erect while the bird sings, a perfect subject for an 

 artist. It occupies the reedy areas of ponds caused by irriga- 

 tion overflow, or the shallow margins of potholes— any place 

 where enough water stands to create a rush and cattail situa- 

 tion. Little can be said of its song for, although it has plenty 

 of volume, it is coarse, harsh, and unmusical. If one is to hold 

 the mood evoked by the bird's beauty, the song must be 

 ignored and attention concentrated on its plumage and sur- 

 roundings. When I drive through marshy areas in eastern 

 Washington I often see yellow-headed blackbirds, hear their 

 chatter, and watch their incessant activity. 



I had never seen the bird west of the Cascade Range until 

 a friend and I flushed it in the soggy brownness of a showery 

 day in the marsh— a bit of beauty minus the setting of the 

 valleys and plains in which it was usually found. Redwings 

 were all about, song sparrows and tule wrens sang, for it was 

 the breeding season and life was pleasant. Even the gloomy 

 bittern betrayed by its call that it had taken, or awaited, a 

 mate. It was just after six but many automobiles hurried on 

 their way to work. 



The bird stood on a log that had stranded a few yards out 

 in the bay. It was silent and motionless as if aware of the 

 strangeness of its surroundings. It remained only a few min- 

 utes but that was all we needed to identify it, for no other 

 bird in the Pacific Northwest wore that combination of black 

 and yellow. When it rose it gave a slight call and, splendid 

 in the morning sun, started toward the north. With its de- 

 parture came a slight irritation due to the questions that the 

 presence of a strange bird always caused. What brought it 

 out of its usual territory? It could not be ascribed to any 

 habits of fall roving, for the bird obviously was on its way to 

 the nesting grounds. Was it merely wandering from regular 

 routes as people do? If so, why didn't more birds like it come 



