Identifier: birdlifeguid00chap (find matches)
Title: Bird-life; a guide to the study of our common birds
Year: 1898 (1890s)
Authors: Chapman, Frank M. (Frank Michler), 1864-1945 Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1860-1946
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
henquacks like a Duck, then rattles like a Kingfisher, thensqualls like a fox, then caws like a Crow, then mews likea cat. . . . C-r-r-r-r-r—whrr—thats it—chee—quack,cluck, yit-yit-yit—now hit it—tr-r-r-r—when—caw—caw—cut, cut—tea-boy—who, who—mew, mew You maybe pardoned for doubting that a bird can produce sostrange a series of noises, but if you will go to the Chatshaunts in thickety openings in the woods, or other bushyplaces, and let him speak for himself, you will admit thatour alphabet can not do him justice. To hear the Chat isone thing, to see him quite another. But he will repaystudy, and if you will conceal yourself near his home youmay see him deliver part of his repertoire while on thewing, with legs dangling, wings and tail flapping, and hiswhole appearance suggesting that of a bird who has hadan unfortunate encounter with a charge of shot. But if the Chats song is surprising when heard dur-ing the day, imagine the effect it creates at night when
Text Appearing After Image:
Plate LXIX. Page 177. LONG-BILLED MAKSH WEEN. Length, 5-20 inches. Upper parts brown, black, and white, a whiteline over eye; under parts white, sides brownish. CATBIRD. 173 he has the stage to himself, for he is one of our few birdswho sing regularly and freely during the night, moonlitnights being most often selected. The Chat is a rather southern bird in its distribution,being found north of Connecticut only locally and rarely.It winters in the tropics, coming to us about May 1 anddeparting early in September. Its well-made nest ofgrasses, leaves, and strips of bark is generally placed inthe crotch of a sapling within three feet of the ground.Its three to five eggs are white, rather evenly speckledand spotted with reddish brown. Thrashers, Wrens, etc. (Family Troglodytid^).) The Eastern representatives of this family are appar-ently too unlike to be classed in the same group, but whenall the two hundred members of the family are studied, itis evident that the extremes are connected

Note About Images