80 WOOD NOTES WILD. 
intention being to let no migrating lady-chat pass with- 
out a hearty invitation to cease her wandering and to 
accept a husband and a home. 
After all, the chat can hardly be said to have a song. 
The longest strain that I have heard from him is with- 
out melody, closely resembling the rhythmic movement 
of the yellow-billed cuckoo’s effort, but wholly unlike it 
in quality of tone. He will burst out with loud, rapid 
tones, then suddenly retard and diminish to the close: 
beegeheedee Pee eet 
I have heard this strain many times in the course of 
an hour, and am satisfied that it has no one pitch or key. 
The following are the principal notes of this chat, but 
it is not to be understood that they always come in like 
order : — 
Quirp, quirp. (3) 
