372 DIVISION I. VERTEBRAL ANIJIALS. — CLASS II. AVES. 



placed tli:it tlie slieet of water falling from an elevated rock, and forming a 

 cascade, completely screens it; but wherever situated, it Ijlends with the rest 

 of the moss and lichen which fill up every chink, and spread o\cr the face 

 of tlie humid rocks in great luxuriance, and unless the bird is watched to its 

 retreat, wt)uld never be detected. 



As soon as tlie young are fledged they accompany their parents, following 

 them in all their movements, playfidly sporting, diving, flitting from stone 

 to stone, and performing the most amusing evolutions. On the continent 

 of Europe the water ouzel is very common in Switzerland and in the rocky 

 parts of Italy. Tiiis species is about seven inches in length ; the upper 

 jiarts are of a deep brown, the throat and chest white, the under parts rusty, 

 iris pearl gray, bill black, legs bone colored. In the young tlic [ihmiage 

 above is clouded with blackish imdulations, and the white feathers of the 

 chest are finely varied with brown and ash color. IJeccnt classification in 

 ornithology has se])arated from the Turdid;u the Saxicolas. and raised tiiem to 

 the position of a family, called the Family Saxicolid^': (tlie rock inhal)iters). 

 These birds are distinguished as f illows : wings very long and much point- 

 ed, reaching beyond the middle of the short square or emarginated tail, and 

 one and a half times or more the length of the latter ; the spurious primary 

 very short, the second quill longer than the fourth ; in the closed wing the 

 outer secondary reaches only about two thirds the length of the longest 

 j)rimary. 



In this grou]) are included our well-known Bluebird, the Tlobin-redbreast 

 of Europe, the AVhinchat, and tlie "\\'iieat-ears. 



The American Bluebird {Si((l!,i .si<i/is) is six and three fourths inckes long. 

 The whole upper plumage is of a rich sky-blue color, the breast chestnut, 

 and the jilumage of the abdomen is white. It is a summer bird in the 

 United States, coming with the earliest spring, and retiring to the south in 

 the autumn. Its food consists of insects and spiders in the summer, and 

 berries in the winter. The eggs are from four to six in number ; their color 

 is a ])ale blue. Wilson says of this species, — 



"Tlie usual spring and summer song of the bluebird is a soft, agreeable, 

 oft-repeated warble, uttered with open, quivering wings, and is extremely 

 pleasing. In his motions and general character he has great resemblance to 

 the robin redbreast of Great Britain, and had lie the brown olive of that bird 

 instead of his own blue, could scarcely be distinguished from him. Like 

 liim he is known to almost every child, and shows as much confidence in 

 man by associating with him in summer as the otiier bird in winter. lie 

 is also of a mild and peaceful disposition, seldom fighting or quarrelling with 

 other birds. His society is courted by the inhabitants of the country, and 

 few fiirmers neglect to provide for him, in some suitable place, a snug little 



