.^.'(. THE AMERICAN W A'lEK ()t/EL. 



Iicaltli. I'liit yuu wuiild far rather kimw of liis, for lie has just come out of the 

 icy l)atli. and as he sidles down tiie ruck, tittering expectantly, you juilge he is 

 contemplating anotjier one. \'es: without more atlo the hinl wades into the 

 stream where the current is so swift you are sure it woulil sweej) a man olT 

 his feet, lie disappears heneatli its surface and you shudder at the )xissihili- 

 ties, but after a half minute of suspense he bursts out of the seething waters a 

 dozen feel below and tlits back to his rock chuckling cheerily. This time, it may 

 be, he will rest, and you have opportunity to note the slightly rctnnissi' aspect 

 of the beak in its attachment to the head. The bird has stopped springing now 

 and stanils as stolid as an Indian, save as ever and again he delivers a slow 

 wink, upside flown, with the white nictitating membrane. 



It has been asserted that the Ouzel llies under water, but I think that 

 this is a mistake, exce|)t as it may use its wings to reach the surface of the 

 water after it has released its hold upon tiie Ixtttoni. The bird creejjs and 

 clings, rather, and is thus able to withstand a strong current as well as to attain 

 a de])tli of several feet in (|uieter waters. 



The Water Ouzel feeds largely upon the larv.e of the c.idtlice fly, known 

 locally as i)eriwiiikles. These are found clinging to the under surface of stones 

 lining the stream, and their discovery re(|uires (|uite a little prying anil poking 

 on the bird's pari. The Ouzels are alst> said to be destructive to fish fry, inso- 

 much that tiie director of a hatchery in British Columbia felt impelled to order 

 tlie destruction of all the Ouzels, to the number of several hundred, which 

 wintered along a certain protected stream. This was a very regrettable neces- 

 sity, if necessity it was, and one which might easily lead to misunderstanding 

 between bird-men and lish-men. We are fond of trout ourselves, but we con- 

 fess to being a great deal fonder of this adventuresome water-sprite. 



The Ouzel is non-migratory, but the summer haunts of the birds in the 

 iiKJuntains are largely closed to them in winter, so that they find it necessary at 

 that season to retreat to the lower levels. This is di>ne, as it were, reluctantly, 

 and nothing short of the actual blanketing of snow or ice will drive them to 

 forsake the higher waters. The bird is essentially solitary at this season, as 

 in summer, and when it rejiairs to a lower station, along late in Xovcmber. 

 there is no little strife engendered by the discussion of metes and bounds. In 

 tiie winter of 1895-6. being stationed at Ciielan. I iiad occasion to note that tiie 

 same Ouzels ajipeared daily along the upper reaches of the Ciielan River. Tliink- 

 ing that such a local attachment niigiit be due to similar occu|)ation d<nvn stream. 

 I set out one afternoon to follow the river down for a mile or so. and to ascer 

 tain, if |)ossible. iiow many bird-squatters had laid out claims along its tur- 

 bulent course. In places where tiiere was an unusually long succession of 

 rapids, it was not always |Kissible to <Ieci<le between liie conflicting interests 

 of rival claimants, for they flitted up and down overlapping i)y sliort fligiits 

 each otiier's domains: Init tiie very fact tiiat tiiese merlappings often ix-ca- 



