THE WATER OUSEL. 



Washington state can boast of pos- 

 sessing many beautiful birds. Their 

 beauty consists not only in bright and 

 brilliant plumage, but also in sweetness 

 of song. The old favorites are here; 

 those whose liquid notes are so familiar 

 and so dear tO' every American ear. 

 There are the yellow-vested meadow 

 lark, robin red breast, the blue bird, black 

 bird, linnet, cat-bird, and a great many 

 little warblers whose names I cannot 

 mention. Ah ! there is Miss Jennie Wren, 

 for whose sake Sir Cruel Sparrow "with 

 his bow and arrow," slew Mr. Cock 

 Robin. Then we have Mr. Wee Tomtit. 

 Of course we have the-ever-to-be ad- 

 mired humming bird. 



Of other birds whose plumage is not 

 noted for its brilliancy, and whose notes 

 are not melodious, we might mention the 

 ebony-hued crow, the noisy yellow- 

 hammer (or flicker), the impudent mag- 

 pie, the harsh-voiced blue jay, the in- 

 trusive kingfisher and the loud-whirring 

 night jar. But the list would be too long 

 should we attempt to enumerate all the 

 birds, great and small, whose home is in 

 Washington. 



However, I must not omit from the 

 list the hvely little Water Ousel. This 

 bird is not numerous in this state. In 

 fact, the Ousel is quite scarce. It is 

 found nowhere else but along small water 

 courses. Along only a few of the streams 

 is the Ousel met. One of the favorite 

 streams along which this little creature 

 lives is Kettle river, which flows through 

 Stevens county, and empties into the 

 great Columl^ia. A iew may be seen 

 along Colville river at certain times, gen- 

 erally during the summer and early fall 

 months. This bird is not noted for its 

 ])(>vver of song, nor yet for its beauty of 

 plumage. lUit withal, the Water Ousel 

 is an interesting and attractive bird. 



The Water Ousel of eastern Washing- 

 ton is nearly as large as the ordinary 

 field robin. Its body is short and plump. 

 'Hie tail is short and broad. Though 

 much larger, the ( )usel reminds one of 



the little wren. Of course the color is 

 not the same ; but an Ousel looks like an 

 "enlarged wren." Their bodies are sim- 

 ilar and also their actions. 



As to color, the Ousel is a brownish- 

 black, dark snufif hue. The plumage of 

 the male is much brighter and more pro- 

 nounced than that of the female. In 

 some of the males, the color is of a dark- 

 ish-blue and almost as glossy as that of 

 the male blackbird. 



Grace and sprightly action characterize 

 the Water Ousel. It is as quick as a 

 flash. The bird never deserts the stream. 

 No difiference how attractive may be the 

 wooded banks, it does not lose itself in 

 the sylvan depths. 



Along the pebbly and sandy margin it 

 makes its home. If disturbed, or sudden- 

 ly frightened, the Ousel will flit up or 

 down the stream. Sometimes the bird 

 will wing its way to the opposite bank. 

 It delights in the water, and spends hours 

 in wading about and seeking its food 

 among the pebbles and sand. The cute 

 little fellow bathes almost constantly. 

 Every few minutes it will dip its plump 

 little body under the water, and then 

 shake its feathers. 



The bird is always cheerful and full 

 of action. Never for an instant is the 

 Ousel at rest. It is always on the move, 

 uttering its short, plaintive chirp. The 

 Ousel is not wild, nor even timid. Oc- 

 casionally one can approach within a 

 few yards and the little chap will eye 

 you sharply in a half saucy way, very 

 much like a starling. If you come nearer, 

 he is off in a twinkle. Whenever the 

 bird alights it invariably takes a dip in 

 the water, chirping gaily to itself. 



These birds are rarely seen in pairs ex- 

 cept during the mating period. I have 

 never yet been able to discover an Ousel's 

 nest, 1nit those who have made a close 

 study of the habits of this interesting 

 bird claim that they build their nests in 

 the banks, burrowing for that purpose a 

 small hole. 



J. Mayne Baltimore. 



42 



