14 



THE AUDUBON BULLETIN 



as you enter his domain, (he generally does), he will keep just a thicket 

 ahead and as if to taunt you, will immediately call to acquaint you where 

 he is hiding. A quick dash and run around the thicket may reward one 

 with a fleeting view of his flirting tail as he disappears into the deep re- 

 cesses of the next bower. 



One lady in camp near a thicket where Chats were numerous had the 

 following to say of the Yellow-breasted Disappearer : 



"Here they reared their broods and not only all day but late in the 

 evening and by moonlight they could be heard making the whole place 

 ring with their medley of sounds, while not a feather of them could be 

 seen." 



The Chats are truly beautiful birds with their rich olive-green backs 

 and bright yellow under parts. White lines about the eyes and the black 

 beauty spot near the bill render him very attractive. He makes little effort 

 to conceal his nest and if one be willing to force his way — briar disputed — 

 through natural growing barb wires the bulky Chat nest may be found. 



The home of so unique an outlaw should prove interesting and it does. 

 The nest is usually placed from two to four feet from the ground in a 

 tangled bush. Composed of grasses and stems and leaves, it is at first 

 glance uninteresting but only a peep inside reveals one of Nature's beau- 

 tiful secrets, The little owner has silently slipped away at your approach 

 but her sharp beady eyes are sure to be watching you as you gasp in ad- 

 miration over her egg treasures. Four in number they glisten with a por- 

 celain whiteness and the cinnamon brown dot markings are so regularly 

 distributed over the entire surface as to resemble jewels in a setting. 



The home life of these birds is charming. Loyal to their mates year 

 after year they also cling tenaciously to their favorite bramble homes. 

 Neglected fields at the edges of woods and particularly adjacent to bottom 



lands are the choicest haunts of the 

 Yellow-Breasted Chats. Many are the 

 tangled thickets along the Illinois, the 

 Sangamon, the Kaskaskia and Salt 

 Fork that ring each May and June 

 with the voices of these Chat vaudevil- 

 leans. Look for him at any time after 

 May 1st, and when you have found 

 him, we guarantee your money back if 

 you are not satisfied with his entertain- 

 ment. 



It is said that a Chat courtship is a 

 never to be forgotten episode for the 

 fortunate observer. The writer has yet 

 Photo by Arthur A. Allen this anticipation to entice him each sea- 



son to the tangled tortous haunts of 

 A YOUNG CHAT the Yellow-Breasted Chat. 



A POTENTIAL VAUDEVILLEAN OF THE 

 TANGLED THICKETS 



Isaac E. Hess. 



