A Recent Ramble. 87 



pretty, for the creamy eggs, with purple-brown 

 blotches, stand out in bold relief, and are sure to 

 attract attention, whether found by accident or as 

 the result of nest-hunting. But all this pales to 

 nothing in comparison to the newly-hatched young. 

 These are the funniest little fellows extant. Not 

 ludicrous because awkward, which is true of most 

 young birds, but because of knowingness. They 

 are quicker- witted than young quails, and ready 

 to meet emergencies when scarcely more than 

 a day old. I have knowledge of one cunning 

 youngster that ran from tangled grass, as if fearing 

 it might be trodden upon, into the water, and, 

 using its mites of wings to guide it, swam for per- 

 haps two yards, and then held on to the weeds 

 with its feet. It was taken out by my informant's 

 hand, after a submergence of several seconds, and 

 came to the surface dry as a powder-horn. It 

 would be well to know how often these birds take 

 refuge from pursuing foes in this manner, and how 

 long they can remain beneath the surface. Be it 

 for a few seconds or a few minutes, it is interesting 

 as bearing upon the fact that the ouzel has 

 acquired the habit of hunting over the beds of 



