Species VI. TURDUS AQUATICUS* 



WATER THRUSH. 



[Plate XXIII. Fig. 5.] 



This lird is remarkable for its partiality to brooks, rivers, shores, 

 ponds, and streams of water; wading in the shallows in search of 

 aquatic insects, wagging the tail almost continually, chattering as it 

 flies, and, in shori, possesses many strong traits and habits of the Water 

 Wagtail. It is also exceedingly shy, darting away on the least attempt 

 to approach it, and uttering a sharp chip, repeatedly, as if greatly 

 alarmed. Among the mountain streams in the state of Tennessee, I 

 found a variety of this bird pretty numerous, with legs of a bright 

 yellow color ; in other respects it differed not from the rest. About 

 the beginning of May it passes through Pennsylvania to the north ; is 

 seen along the channels of our solitary streams for ten or twelve days ; 

 afterwards ^ disappears until August. It is probable that it breeds in 

 the higher mountainous districts even of this state, as do many other 

 of our spring visitants that regularly pass a week or two with us in the 

 lower parts, and then retire to the mountains and inland forests to 

 breed. 



But Pennsylvania is not the favorite resort of this species. The 

 cane-brakes, swamps, river shores, and deep watery solitudes of Loui- 

 siana, Tennessee, and the Mississippi Territory, possess them in abund- 

 ance ; there they are eminently distinguished by the loudness, sweetness 

 and expressive vivacity of their notes, which begin very high and clear, 



(musielinus) must be restored to the bird to which it was originally applied, the 

 Wood Thrush, and the Turdus Wilsonii as proposed by Prince Musignano, be 

 adopted for this. 



Synonymes : T. Wilsonii, Bonaparte, 06s. Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. vol. iv., p. 34. — 

 Id. Synop. Annales Lye. Nat. Hist. vol. ii., p. 75. 



* Prince Musignano asserts that this is the Sylvia noveboracensis, Latham, and 

 quotes the following synonymes : — Motacilla noveboracensis, Gmel, — Sylvia nove- 

 boracensis, Lath. — Vieill. pi. 82. — Motacilla tigrina, var. fi, Gmel. female and 

 young.— Sylvia tigrina, var. P, Lath, female and young. — Sylvia anthoides, 

 Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. — Ficedula dominicensis fusca, Briss. female and 

 young. — Fauvette tachetie de la Louisiane, Buff. PL Enl. 752, f. 1, a very bad 

 figure. — New York warbler, Penn. Arct. Zool. — Lath. Syn. 



It resembles in habits and appearance, and is we believe, also, the Turdus mota- 

 cilla of ViEI] LOT, pi. 65. 



(35). 



