Ouzel

an old German name for several birds of the thrush kind. The American water ouzel, or dipper, as it is frequently called, is a native of the Rocky Mountains and coast ranges. It builds an ordinary cup-shaped nest and incloses it in a huge mass of moss, which it enters like a mouse by a small opening at the side. It is a small, short-tailed, short-winged, dark colored, wren-like bird. It lives in the canons along the mountain streams. Its food consists chiefly of the snails and insects found in such localities. Although formed like other dry land birds, it is fond of diving. It flutters through the water with the aid of its wings, and may be seen chasing along the bottom for one or two minutes at a time searching for its favorite food. Among other tricks the bird is fond of dropping into a waterfall and emerging at the foot below. Wherever there is a stretch of mountain stream, eddies and swift currents, a pair of swiftly diving ouzels is sure to be found. Olive Thorne Miller's A Bird-Lover in the West, gives an account of the ouzel and its habits. Keyson describes the water ouzel as "a mouse-colored bird a little smaller than the robin, his tail perked up almost vertically, scuttling about on the rocks and dipping his body in an expressive way like a 'tip-up' sandpiper."