sYLVicoLin.K — TiiK WAKisr.i'ins. 2S{) 



l);itiuii, slie iiR'irly tlii's otV; l)Ut liittT, nr when she has yniuii,', slit* tiuiiMt's 

 alMnil oil tlie j^iound, spreads Irt wiii^s ami tail, utters piteous ciits, ami 

 seems as if in tlie last auoiiies ot" despair. Tiiis sj)eeies Mr. AiidiilMUi never 

 nut with larther east than (leor«Ma, nnr farthei north than Heujlcrson, Kv, 



Of late years, <tr since attention has hoen nio:t; drawn to the speeitic 

 ililferenee between this sj)ecies and tlie Water Thrush, it has apparently 

 heeonie more numerous, and has been obtained in considerable numbers i». 

 the vicinity of Washini^ton. In that neighlx>rh()od, once considered J; ^ 

 rare, it was found 1)V Dr. Coues to be not at all uncommon at certain 

 seasons and in partiiular localities. From the lOth of .Vjuil to the IfOth 

 of Mav it was always to be met with anion-' the dense laurel-bnikes ihat 

 border the l»anks of and till the ravines leading into Ifock Creek and I'iney 

 Branch. He believes they breed there, lau they were not ol>servetl in the 

 fall. They were usually very shy, darting' at once into the mo.st im])ene- 

 trable brakes, but were at other times easily approached. He always found 

 them in ])airs, even as early as the 2Uth of April. Their call-note wa.s a 

 sparrow-like chirp, as if made by striking two pebl)les together. They also 

 had a loud, l)eautiful, and melodious song, the singularity of which first drew 

 his attention to the bird. 



Mr. liidgway informs me that in the Wabash Valley this bird, familiarly 

 known as the " Water Wagtail," is an abundant sununer sojourner. It inhab- 

 its the dam}>cst situations in the liottom-lands, the borders of creek.s, lagoons, 

 and swamps, living there in company witli the Prothonotary Warbler {Pro- 

 tonotaria ciirco). In its movements it is one of the ([uickest as well as the 

 most restless of the Siflfnolidfr, though it is eminently terrestrial in its hab- 

 its. It is usually seen u})on the wet ground, in a horizontal position, or even 

 the posterior part of its body more elevated, and its body continually tilting 

 up and down ; if it fancies itself unobserved, it runs slyly beneath the brush- 

 wood overhanging the shore ; but if startled, it flies up suddenly with a sharp 

 and startling chatter. He adds that in early spring (from the latter part of 

 February to the beginning of April) its rich loud song may be heard before 

 the trees are in leaf, for it is one of the earliest of the Warblers to arrive. 

 When singing, it is usually perched u])on the hnver branches of a tree over- 

 hanging the water, but he has freipiently seen it among the topmost branches. 

 Wilson and Audubon have not exaiiLjerated the merits of the sonfj of this 

 bird, for among all its family there is certainly not one of our Xorth Ameri- 

 can species that comjKires with it. In richness and volume of its very liquid 

 notes it is almost unrivalled, though the song itself may not be considered 

 otherwise remarkable. 



Mr. Salvin met this species in different portions of Guatemala in the months 

 of August, September, and November, 1850. A dry \vatercourse in the for- 

 est, or in the bottom of a barranco, seemed to be its favorite resort, while 

 its near congener, the noirhoracitisis, was observed to seek rather the more 

 open streams. 



37, , . . 



