ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 



13 



How often have I interestedly, enthusiastically, excitedly made the 

 effort to flank him in his retreat, only to find him always on his guard — 

 trusting none but himself in the office of sentinel. Of all the aggravating 

 teases among birds, I unhesitatingly pronounce the Chat, chief and leader. 

 Birds, like human beings, are never so interesting as when we may not hope 

 to prophesy their next movements. When it is possible to record a program 

 of actions in advance of fulfillment, these objects of study cease to appear as 

 animated personalities and drop into the list of uninteresting automatons. 

 Not so — the Chat — one never knows what to expect of this gay de- 

 ceiver and invariably a patient observance of a part of his varied program, 

 is followed by the exclamation, "Well what next." Consequently he is 

 popular with the bird lovers. His very elusiveness inspires us with a de- 

 termination to spy him out. The Chat's pretended modesty excites all the 

 curiosity we may have inherited from our first respected female ancestor. 

 We have all sought him — some have found him and are anxious to 

 tell on him. Provoked because he so successfully deceived us, our pride 

 is piqued. However we have an excuse — that soothing lotion always so 

 plentifully stocked in the human laboratory and so necessary for the heal- 

 ing of our lacerated egoisms. The Chat is a ventriloquist and at once we 

 may excuse ourselves for being "made fools of." No class of people so 

 quickly recovers from chagrin however as the bird lovers or so enjoy good 

 jokes on themselves. Hence the Chat has been dubbed with numerous 

 aliases. 



Frank M. Chapman says he is "eccentric" and a mystery that evidently 

 has a method in his madness. Ella F. Mosby names him "Nature's Gro- 

 tesque." To Neltie Blanchan he is a "Rollicking Polygot." Ridgwav 



speaks of him as a "Happy- Go- 

 Lucky-Clown." Dugmore, the 

 famous bird photographer says 

 he does not fly in an "orthodox" 

 manner but journeys in quick 

 jerky flights like the moth and 

 butterflies. 



Should we succeed in ap- 

 proaching him unobserved, we 

 may see him mount to the top of 

 his bush or tree in short succes- 

 sive hops and launch into the air 

 singing and chattering all the 

 while. He may surprise us with 

 a somersault or he may be con- 

 tent to flutter back to his beloved 

 thicket in a tumbling flight that 

 arouses a suspicion as to his san- 

 ity. I have seen the Chat per- 

 form such aerial contortions as 

 would recall our childhood ex- 

 periences in "skinning the cat" 

 upon an invisible trapeze. 



If neighbor Chat "spots" you 



Photo by Isaac E. Hess 



THE TREASURES OF THE CHAT 



