228 THE WATER THRUSH, 



and ally of the husbandman, and should never be the sub- 

 ject of persecution; and especially because of the partiality 

 it shows for the vicinage of man, being almost entirely con- 

 fined to the improved and cultivated regions of the country, 

 and more or less common about our dwellings. 



The Middle States are the favorite breeding region of 

 this bird. Reported as rare in Northern New England, it 

 breeds commonly in Nova Scotia and on the Red River of the 

 north, on the Saskatchawan, in the cultivated parts of the 

 Central Plains, and on the Columbia River. It is resident 

 in the Southern States, but many pass the winter far 

 beyond. It leaves the Middle States for the south in Sep- 

 tember or October. 



THE WATER THRUSH. 



On this last day of April, I every now and then hear the 

 spirited notes of the Water Thrush (Seiurus noveboracensis). 

 I sometimes hear them even a week earlier. I hardly know 

 whether to call these notes a song or not. They are not at 

 all like those sylvan melodies, which seem the overflow of 

 quiet joy from happy natures; but are rather a strong utter- 

 ance of surprise, as if the bird had made some exciting 

 discovery perhaps your own unwelcome presence and 

 wished to express some feeling of alarm or disapproval. 

 Chee-chee-chee-chee-choo-choo-choo-choo-choo-thoo, beginning with 

 a somewhat high and loud note, and gradually dropping 

 down softer and lower, the whole with an increasing rapid- 

 ity, might represent this vocal performance. As Wilson 

 and Audubon evidently gave us only the history of that 

 delightful songster, the Louisiana, or Large-billed Water 

 Thrush, and subsequent writers have been more or less con- 

 fused as to the voices of this and our more northern or 

 common Water Thrush, ornithological readings do not pre- 



