244 HOMING WITH THE BIRDS 



difficult to describe. In the business of rearing 

 their young these birds seem to be extremely un- 

 easy about each other. They find almost all of 

 their food on the ground, much of the time scratch- 

 ing among the leaves for it, so that they are the 

 prey of snakes and rodents. The male's call, fre- 

 quent and distinct, is "Chee-wink?" from which 

 these birds take their name. Sometimes the fe- 

 male answers him with a reproduction of the note 

 in exclamatory form, where his call is interroga- 

 tive. One pair I worked with more intimately 

 and for a longer time than with any other I have 

 known. The female's answer was always plainly 

 given: "Chee-wee!" 



The song of the male bird starts in clear, whistled 

 tones, and is one of those previously referred to as 

 extremely disappointing in its ending. The notes 

 raised to twice eight va., begin on D, rise to A, on 

 to E four or five times repeated. The best transla- 

 tion I ever have seen is that of Thompson Seton, 

 who hears the chewink sing: "Chuck-burr, pill-a- 

 will-a-will-a-will ! " Sometimes the musician sings 

 on low shrubbery near his nest, but when he is 

 really giving a concert he selects the top branch 

 of the tallest tree in hearing of his mate and sings 

 the song described, with several variations. 



Because of the same colouring, this bird calls to 

 mind the rose-breasted grosbeak, with which I was 

 intimately acquainted in childhood and during my 

 residence in Limberlost Cabin, south. The rose- 



