THE OOLOGIST 



53 



hinge valuable and new scientific discover- 

 ies, are not in his line, and it would be 

 time thrown away by delaying, when it 

 might be utilized in finding more nests. 



It is a mistake that if one goes upon an 

 oological tour, he should collect so many 

 nests of eggs for the time he is out ; in 

 other words, people who call themselves 

 naturalists, judge the merits of the collect- 

 or by the number of specimens he gets. 

 We have frequently been gone all day 

 long, over good grounds, to come home 

 either empty handed or with but a set or 

 two. But what does this signify beside 

 the score. of valuable notes we took durins 

 the time we miglit have been thrashing 

 hurriedly through the bushes after more 

 specimens, and in utter disregard of any- 

 thing else. Many a time have we been 

 out all day after birds and came home to 

 be treated with the queries " where's your 

 game?" or " What'd you kill?" but it was 

 a relief to know that the note-book was 

 well filled with observations, which our ex- 

 perience told us was richer than " game ;" 

 and that the one Warbler — the sole mater- 

 ial product of several hours' weary and 

 exhaustive tramp — was captured under 

 circumstances which rendered it an inval- 

 uable day's acquisition. 



The ambition of the oologist should ever 

 be to glean thoroughly. Let pen and pen- 

 cil both do good service ; let the eye, the 

 ear and discriminative faculties work as 

 well as the hand. Let every nest have its 

 history ; point to all with pride. Let the 

 old standby excuse : "■ That set I had to 

 take without seeing the parents because I 

 hadn't time, but think it is a Grass 

 Finch's ;" or " That (i<^^ so exactly resem- 

 bles a Cat Bird's tliat I put it in that box, 

 not knowing Avhat else to call it," be never 

 broached. May oological ambition lead 

 our young naturalists to make the study of 

 birds' eggs a n^ble, elevating and univer- 

 sal science. 



The Oologist — To new subscribers who 

 wish to examine it, the last six numbers of 

 this volume will be sent for thirty cents. 



Notes on the Habits of the Large- 

 billed Water Thrush. 



The Water Thrushes are exceedingly 

 active in all their movements, runnin"- 



1 ' o 



along water courses, over logs, stones, 

 and shallow water, with almost, if not 

 quite, the agility of the Sandpipers. Es- 

 pecially nimble and expert are they in ob- 

 taining their prey, and so quick and busy 

 do they appear while thus engaged that 

 their movements seem to the watcher to be 

 the outward expression of very acute ner- 

 vousness. They run through the shallow 

 water very swiftly for a few steps ; then, 

 stopping suddenly, they snap up a little in- 

 sect, and almost immediately wheel about 

 and scamper in the opposite direction, 

 when they again pause, but a second, 

 to catch tlie unlucky moth that has 

 fallen into the water. This behavior is 

 kept up for some time, t!ie birds appear- 

 ing meanwhile entirely absorbed in their 

 searcli. But should a person suddenly 

 break upon them while thus engaged, 

 they usually utter a sharp 7>««c of alarm, 

 and fly hurriedly off for a h\\ yards, then 

 resume their vocation. Often, if not too 

 suddenly disturbed, they will stop short 

 and scan the intruder a moment, then re- 

 sume their search, keeping, however, one 

 eye open, ready for the slightest intimation 

 of danger. 



Though a rather abundant species, in- 

 habiting the shores of our rivers, lakes 

 and ponds, and to be found more or less 

 commonly about waterfalls and ravines, 

 the Large-billed Water Thrush is a bird 

 little noticed by young naturalists, and 

 quite unknown to those who do not hap- 

 pen to pursue their studies in its particular 

 haunts ; for it is a bird belonging exclus- 

 ively to its own restricted habitat, seldom 

 showing itself in open, dry places. It has 

 a habit, common to the genus Slurii-s, of 

 jerking its body in the same manner as the 

 Sandpipers do, which peculiarity has 

 obtained it the fitting name of Water Wag- 

 tail. They are not strictly gregarious 

 birds ; for, though a number will some- 



