288 XORTII AMERICAN JHftDS. 



parontly distinct Sciiirm, now know,, a.s tlie Louisiana Water Tlinisli Tin's 

 bird lias a very close resenil.lance tu the norchmmn.iH, dillerin- chiedv in 

 size and in l.avin. a larger bill. Althon^h its distribution is nCt yet Jully 

 detenumed, at seen.s to belong ndluT to the South an.l Southwest.-rn States 

 and only acei.lentally to be found uoilh of the .Middle States, Still a ain-de 

 .speeunen has been obtained in Massachusetts, an.l it has been several times 

 lonn.l in MK-h.j,mn and Missouri. Specimens of this bir.l have also been 

 imK.ured m I'ennsylvania, tieor-da, Tama,dij,as. Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, and 

 Uualemala. 



Its recognition as a distinct species from the common Water Thrush is 

 «o .-ecent, and the two species so ch.sely resend.le each other, that as yet its 

 habits and ustoiy are imperfectly known. Wilson relers to the binls ho 

 had met with in Missi.ssippi and Louisiana, which we presume to have been 

 the same, as bemg there in abundance, and eminently .listinguished by tlie 

 loudne.s.s, sweetnes.s, and cxja^essive vivacity of their .lotes. These he de- 

 scribes as beginning ve,y high and cleai-, and as falling with an almost imper- 

 ceptible gradation until tliey are scarcely articulated,- a desc,-iption that 

 would also answer ve,y weU for the soi-g of the true Water Thrush. J )urin.r 

 their .song, lie adds, they are pei'ched on the middle branches of a tree over 

 the brook oi' liver-bank, ].ouiii.g out a channing melody, so loud and disti.ict 

 that it may be heard at the distance of nearly half a mile. The voir'.e of this 

 bird appeared to liim so exquisitely sweet and expressive that he was aiever 

 tired ot listening to it. 



It is also .p.ite probable that .,eai-ly all of .\ud.ibon's accouiits of the habits 

 of the ^^ater Thrush were derived fro.i his obserNation of this s,,ecies, and 

 not of ^i, \o.-thern congener. He describes its song as fully equal to that 

 o^ the Nightingale, its notes as powerful an.l m.-llow, and at times as varied 

 He states that it is to be foun.l at all s.-a.sons in the dee,,..st an.l most swampy 

 of the canebrakes of Mississippi and Louisiana. Its song is to be heard even 

 in the winter, when the weather is calm an.l warm. 



He describes its ilight as ea.sy an.l coiitinue.l, just above the brakes or 

 cl..se to the grouiid. Wq.en on the ground, it is continually vibratim'/its 

 body, jei-king out its tail and then cl.)sing it again. It walks gracefully alon-r 

 the branches or on the ground, but never ho,«. He states that it feeds on 

 insects and their larva-, and often pursues the former on the win-v 



He describes the nest as placed at the foot and among the i-oots of a tree 

 or by the side of a decayed log, and says they are often easily discoveie.l.' 

 Ihey ai-e commence.l the first week of April. T!ie outer porti.>ns are forme.l 

 ot diy leaves and mosses, the inner of fi.ie grasses, with a few hairs or the 

 dry hbi-es of the Spanish moss. 



The eggs, four in number, are describe.l a.s flesh-colored, sprinkled with 

 dai-k re.l at the larger end. They are hatche.l in fourteen day.s. The y..un.. 

 leave the nest in about ten days, and follow the parent on the groun.I f.-.m" 

 place to place. When disturbed on her nest in the earlier periods of incu- 



