THE WATER-THRUSH. 173 



Besides the familiar woodland chant, there is a rarer ecstacy song given 

 at twilight. Of this Professor Lynds Jones says, "I have seen the Oven-bird 

 suddenly vault into the air, mounting to the tree-tops on quivering wings, 

 then dart back and forth in a zigzag course as swift as an arrow, and finally 

 burst into song as he floated gently down. The song seems to swing once 

 round a great circle with incredible swiftness but perfect ease, ending in a 

 bubbling diminuendo as the performer lightly touches the perch or ground 

 with half rigid wings held high." 



No. 78. 



WATER THRUSH. 



A. O. U. No. 675. Seiurus noveboracensis (Gmel). 



Description. — Adult: Above dark olive-brown; below white, tinged more 

 or less with sulphur-yellow, everywhere, except on middle belly, spotted and 

 streaked with the color of the back, finely upon the throat and cheeks, 

 broadly upon the breast ; a dark line through eye ; a prominent yellowish, or buffy 

 (fulvous) superciliary stripe; cheeks and extreme chin more or less tinged with 

 fulvous; bill brown; feet lighter. Length about 5.50-6.00 ( 139.7-152.4) ; wing 

 2.94 (74.7) ; tail 2.14 ( 544)1 exposed culmen .45 (11.4) ; tarsus .82 (20.8). 



Recognition Marks. — Large Warbler size, but most suggestive of small 

 sparrow ; superciliary line yellow-tinged, never pure white ; sulphur-yellow below 

 (never buffy) ; throat spotted. 



Nesting. — Not known to breed in Ohio. Nest, on the ground or in the roots 

 of upturned tree ; of moss and leaves, lined with fine rootlets and tendrils. Eggs, 

 4 or 5, white or creamy white, speckled and spotted or wreathed in the usual 

 fashion with reddish browns. Av. size. .JJ x .59 (19.6 x 15.). 



General Range.— Eastern United States to Illinois, and northward to Arctic 

 America, breeding from the northern United States northward. South in winter 

 to the West Indies, Central America, and northern South America. 



Range in Ohio.— Common spring, less common, or less noticeable, fall 

 migrant. 



THE Water Thrush is a common migrant during the last week in April 

 and the first two weeks in May, and requires at this season careful dis- 

 tinction from its less common relative, the Louisiana Water Thrush. It is 

 found along streams and at the edges of woodland swamps. The more thor- 



