Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-10-11
This and That
By Charles E. Trdce1oeH.


A pretty story about a Northern
water-thrush comes to this column
The bird was found on the ground so
weak that it couldn't fly.
This Is warbler, not a thrush, ex-
cept in name, of which it has many.
including New York warbler, small
billed water-thrush, wagtail, water wag-
tail, aquatic wood wagtail, AQUATIC
thrush. and New York water-thrush.
1t is relative of the Louisiana water
thrush, largest of the warblers, which
also sports the popular names of wagtail
and water wagtail, owing to its habit of
moving its tail
The wagtail In question remained mo-
tionless when it was picked up 1t was
taken indoors for a time, where it re-
vived, but not sufficiently to put it on
its own.
A neighbor with an empty canary
cage came to the rescue. The Northern
water-thrush was placed in the cage
until it could gather its strength.
After a while, very sweet song came
through the window
Outside, the birds mate, evidently.
was singing to his love. In some obscure
way he had found where she was
The wagtail in the cage sang back.
Then cage door and window were
opened. Daintily the olive-green bird
stepped through the cage door and onto
the window SILL.
Its mate greeted it, following which
the two flew away together, to the
South, being on migration.
This water-thrush Is seen here mostly
in migration, usually in April and May,
and In September and the first half of
October.
1t is a bird mostly found on low wet
ground, especially along the banks OF
the Potomac river.
Three birds have the family name of
Seiurus, which means tail waver."
They are the oven-bird, which Is
sometimes called the golden-crowned
thrush; the Louisiana water-thrush,
which Is not thrush, and not par
ticularly Louisianian, and the Northern
water-thruSh.
These two water-thrushes, so-callec,
have white line over the eye, and
splotches on the chest. The oven-bird
has alternating black and chestnut lines
on the head.
The Northern water-thrush is 53z
inches long, the Louisianian water
thrush 6K inches, and the oven-bird is
6A inches long.
OF the three, the oven-bird is seen
the most hereabouts, coming to subur-
ban gardens frequently.
All OF these birds wag their tails,
and walk. The oven-bird builds its nest
on the ground and 1t is dome shaped,
hence the name.
The other two also build on the
ground, usually concealed among rushes
or the like.
About 40 different warblers come to
Washington and vicinity during migra-
ton.
Any one who sees small bird which
ne does not know at this time OF year
may feel sure that he is seeing some
member of the great warbler group
They are, as class, very dainty, and
extremely difacult to identify. A bird
lover might spend lifetime trying to
know them, with only partial success.
Indeed, in the 40 warblers and 10 SPAR
rows which come to the Washington
region there Is all the bird study any
one might wish to undertake; a great
deal more, as q matter of fact, than
most friends OF birds desire. We will
leave that to the ornithologists, who
make living out OF knowing birds
Orn1thology, of course, is matter for
specialists, nowadays. Some are known
as Skin men," becaIse they classif,
birds by shape, size and feather; others
are known In the urofessinx, as "oOu