AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 179 



But 1 will go further and say that its limitations have not been determined, 

 and that it is equal to any emergency that may arise, in which it is espec- 

 ially interested, or in which it may hope for gain — and thereby hangs a 

 tragic tale. 



One day my foreman informod me that the ouzels were stealing our 

 young trout which had been recently placed in the nursery ponds. I re- 

 sented the imputation and said he must be mistaken, but he insisted that 

 it was a lamentable fact that could be proven by watching them, and this 

 I proceeded to do; and this is what I saw: 



On the nursery ponds we have board floats as a shade and refuge for 

 the young trout. While seated near the ponds 1 saw the ouzels alight on 

 the edge of a float, stick their bills in the water and wiggle them. This 

 attracted the baby trout, and as their curiosity took them near enough to 

 investigate the matter they were remorselessly and greedily grabbed up 

 and swallowed by my ouzels. Well, I was sorry, and told my foreman to 

 shoot one, which he did. It died a martyr to an inquiring and inventive 

 mind, or at least a victim to an instinct adapted to all sorts of expedients. 

 On examining the contents of its stomach I found undoubted evidence of 

 its guilt in quite a number of infantile trout. 



But that was the last foray of the ouzels on my preserves, though one 

 portion of the creek is but twenty yards from the ponds. They have not 

 offended since — another evidence of the ready wit, if not reason, of this 

 remarkable bird, the confiding companion of the trout fisher of the Rock- 

 ies. 



Dr. James A. Henshall. 



BROWN THRASHER. 



A. O. v. jVo. 703. (^Harporhynchuj rufus.) 



RANGE. 



The entire United States east of the Rocky Mts., with the exception of 

 the northern part of Maine. It breeds throughout its range. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Length, 11 in.; extent, 13 in.; tail, about 6 in. Eye, yellow. Bill, 

 dark brown, except the basal portion of the lower mandible, which is yel- 

 low. Feet, light brown. Entire upper parts uniform light reddish brown. 

 The feathers of the wing coverts blackish towards the ends and then tip- 

 ped with white, forming two narrow wing bars. Throat, white bordered 

 on each side with small brown spots. Rest of under parts, duller white, 

 the breast and sides being covered with lengthened spots of dark brown. 



