3i8 CAMP-FIRES IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES 



Even the best diamond needs a proper setting in order 

 to show ofif at its best. 



The Water Ouzel, — in habits the strangest of all 

 passerine birds, — is also a bird of the mountain torrents. 

 This is the little creature which looks like a short-tailed 

 catbird, or a big gray wren, which always nests beside a 

 foaming mountain torrent, and occasionally amuses itself 

 by diving into an icy cold pool, and walking upon the 

 bottom] I have seen them fly off the edge of a rush- 

 ing stream, in November, and plunge into the icy waves, 

 for fun, — just as a feverish city sparrow bathes in a foun- 

 tain-basin in mid-August. 



We found a Water Ouzel's nest on Avalanche 

 Creek. It was a mile above Camp Necessity, and the 

 elevation was about 6,000 feet. The nest was situated 

 in a horizontal crevice, a foot wide, at the base of a 

 smooth wall of rock, and only eighteen inches above 

 the turbulent waters of the stream. To me it seemed 

 strange that a summer freshet had not swept away the 

 little home. Mr. Phillips endeavored to photograph the 

 nest, but the effort was not successful. 



The nest was of very simple construction. It consisted 

 merely of a broken wreath of moss, lying upon the bare 

 rock, and backed up against the inner wall of the crevice. 

 With the Carnegie Museum in his mind, Mr. Phillips 

 removed it; and lo! there was nothing but a meaningless 

 handful of dried moss. 



Under a log in a snow-slide I saw one Wren, which 

 I think was a Western Winter Wren.* 



* An-or-tbu ra htemahs pactficus. 



