Thoreau writes in his journal:
As I stood looking at Emerson’s bound under the railroad embankment, I heard a smart tche-day-dayday close to my car, and, looking up, saw four of these birds, which had come to scrape acquaintance Nvith me, hopping amid the alders within three and four feet of me. I had heard them further off at first, and they had followed me along the hedge. They day-day‘d and lisped their faint notes alternately . . .