LOUISIANA WATER-THRUSH 229 



more rapid. On April 20, 1902, I heard a song which, except for the 

 three opening notes, I never would have recognized. The first three 

 notes were the usual clear, piercing, Water-Thursh notes ; but the rest 

 was an intricate jumble of fine notes far softer, and of an entirely 

 different quality. This song was repeated several times. On May 14, 

 1904, 1 heard a song consisting of three notes, wee-wee-wee, then whit- 

 chee, whit-chee, followed by a confused and less loud jumble." 

 {Farwell, MS.) 



Nesting Site. — The nest is placed in the bank of a stream or 

 among the upturned roots of a fallen tree. 



"The nest is placed in a little nook in the bank, usually a hole 

 scraped out by the bird, from one to six feet above running water." 

 (Burtch, MS.) 



Nest. — The nest is generally a loosely made bulky structure filling 

 the cavity or niche in which it is placed, and externally is composed 

 largely of dried leaves, coarse grasses, and rootlets, with often bits of 

 moss ; the lining consists chiefly of coarse grasses. "The nest is made 

 on a mat of dead leaves, moss, and dead grass, lined with rootlets, dead 

 grass or dead pine leaves. I have sometimes found a few hemlock 

 twigs in the nest. May 21, 1899, I saw a male feeding the female 

 which was sitting on five eggs two of which were just hatching." 

 (Burtch, MS.) 



Eggs. — 4 to 6 usually 5, rarely 4 or 6; in a carefully selected 

 series of 45 sets, 4 are of 6 eggs each, 35 of 5 and the balance of 4. 

 Ground color white to creamy white; the markings vary greatly, many 

 shades of chestnut-brown, cinnamon-rufous, lilac-gray, with lavender 

 under shell markings, which are distributed over the egg in all manner 

 of specks, spots, blotches and conglomerate masses either in a zone, 

 wreath or solid mass of spots on large end ; the rest of the egg is well 

 marked also, but the spots become fewer and less decided toward the 

 small end. Size; average, .77X.61 ; extremes, .84X.65, .72X.58. (Figs. 

 92-94.) 



Nesting Dates. — Walke, N. C, April 22 ; Waynesburg, Pa., May 

 5, five eggs on point of hatching- June 8, last date for eggs of first lay- 

 ing (Jacobs) ; New York City, May 11 (F. M. C.) ; Branchport, N. Y., 

 May 6- July 1 (Burtch) ; New Haven, Conn., May 6-June 10 (Bishop) ; 

 Oberlin, O., April 15-June 10 (Jones); Lake Co., Illinois, June 11 

 (Gault) ; Petersburg, Mich., May 5, Trombly (Barrows). 

 Biographical References 

 (1) Wm. Brewster, Some Observations on the Birds of Ritchie County, 

 West Virginia, Ann. Lye. N. Y., XI, 187s, 136; (2) Nesting of the Large- 

 billed Water-Thrush, (in Indiana), Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, III, 1878, 133. (3) 



