502 DAN BEARD'S ANIMAL BOOK 



They seemed to dive and take advantage of the 

 eddies behind the rocks just as do the trout. 



It will be interesting to know the object or 

 reason for that peculiar bobbing up and down in- 

 dulged in by so many of the birds that frequent the 

 shores or the water. The first time I ever saw 



A LOUISIANA THRUSH 



it attracted my attention by going through the same 

 sort of manoeuvers, and if any of my boy readers 

 see a bird bobbing up and down, no matter what 

 kind of a bird it appears to be, they can make up 

 their mind that there is water near at hand or at 

 least the bird's home and hunting ground is upon 

 the edge of streams or other bodies of water. 



My first experience with any creature is the one 

 that remains indelibly impressed upon my memory. 

 I may see thousands of water-ouzels and enjoy 

 watching them; I may meet thousands of Louisiana 

 thru-shes and take careful note of everything they 

 do, but as soon as I begin to tell about these birds 

 I forget all the notes of the thousands I have seen ; 

 often forget even to refer to my note books, and 

 only remember the first birds I met. 



Every artist has had similar experience with his 

 first impressions; he may find nothing to sketch 

 around his own home, but if he visits a new place, 

 he finds it filled with possibilities of interesting pic- 

 tures, while the strange artist visiting the home of 

 the first one is delighted with its picturesqueness. 



