THE WATEK-OUZEL 



287 



leaving his song abruptly broken off. After feed 

 ing a minute or two at the bottom, and when one 

 would suppose that he must inevitably be swept 

 far down-stream, he emerged just where he went 

 down, alighted on the same snag, 

 showered the water-beads from 

 his feathers, and continued his 

 unfinished song, seemingly in 

 tranquil ease as if it had suffered 

 no interruption. 



The Ouzel alone of all birds 

 dares to enter a white torrent. 

 And though strictly terrestrial 

 in structure, no other is so insep 

 arably related to water, not even 

 the duck, or the bold ocean alba 

 tross, or the 

 stormy-pet 

 rel. For ducks 

 go ashore as 

 soon as they 

 finish feed 

 ing in undis- 

 turbedplaces, 

 and very of 

 ten make long 

 flights over 

 land from 

 lake to lake or 

 field to field. 



The same is true of most other aquatic birds. But 

 the Ouzel, born on the brink of a stream, or on a 

 snag or boulder in the midst of it, seldom leaves 



OUZEL ENTERING A WHITE CURRENT. 



