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yellow; the belly white. The long tail and large size at once eliminate the 
possibility of it being any other warbler.” 
Mr. Forbush, in “Birds of Massachusetts”, says it has a very. inter- 
esting nuptial flight song, I presume something like the prairie horned lark 
or woodcock, flying high above the nesting site and then dropping down in 
full song. This will- be something to watch for when they start nesting 
another year. 
For some years it was possible for me to see the chat only occasionally 
in migration, several times in Jackson Park, once a fleeting glimpse in 
Waukegan, and at other places around Chicago. I have never forgotten 
my first sight of him in Jackson Park. That was truly a red letter day. 
Just by chance as I was on my way elsewhere with a little time to spare, 
being near the park I thought I would just hurry in to the Wooded Island 
for a short time. While standing quietly at the edge of the lagoon, looking 
across at a small island, the chat came out into full view, not for long 
but long enough for me to get a splendid view of him. He gave no call, 
which seems to be typical in migration so far as I have noticed. 
Whether it is that he is very shy or that he is just fond of playing 
tricks on one, I just can’t make up my mind. You can try ever so hard 
to see him on his breeding territory where he gives his calls or song and 
he will evade observation by creeping slyly from one bush to another. 
He seems to see you, but the leaves hide him from view. On better 
acquaintance with him and by sitting down and being quiet, he will eventu- 
ally come out and be seen, probably at an entirely different place, oftentimes 
flying to a high place on a small tree near the nesting site or to a taller 
tree a little farther away. It is fortunate if you see him fly up there for 
otherwise you would not know where to look for him. A friend “put me 
wise” to this trick of his. As though this were not enough to make him 
intriguing he is also a very good ventriloquist. Be sure you have both 
time and patience, for you cannot hurry Mr. Chat; then you will be fully 
rewarded as he is really an interesting and handsome bird. 
Once this spring in the latter part of May, three of us were looking 
for warblers. I had a feeling that the chat was just ahead in a low bush, 
but look as we would we could not see one, so decided that I was mistaken. 
We changed our location, two being outside the swampy area and the other 
going in another direction. The latter flushed the chat and got a splendid 
view, giving him a new life-list bird. We circled around and the chat flew 
to a low branch, then down to the grass and we all had a most satisfactory 
study of him. From there he flew to a large stone and gave us a fine 
exhibition of himself. How did that chat get away from three watching 
for him when he had to cross an open place to get over to where he was 
found? This makes me feel that he is tricky instead of shy, for why will 
he be so evasive one time and come out and be so bold within such a short 
time? Incidentally, this day the blue grosbeak was added to my life list. 
I thought I had his breeding habitat all settled in my mind, for in 
three different localities the area was substantially the same; then I found 
out I was wrong. This is one reason that the study of birds is so fasci- 
nating: the longer you study them the more there seems to be to learn. 
