The Scottish Naturalist. 161 



found in them remains of fish or roe ; nor does the dung of the bird 

 when left in a place frequented by it ever present an appearance 

 similar to that of the king-fisher." 



Again, Mr. John Hancock, Newcastle, in his Birds of Northumber- 

 land and Durham (1874), page 62, says : 



" This harmless frequenter of our brooks has of late been accused 

 of devouring salmon spawn, and in some quarters has been doomed 

 to the fate of all * vermin.' A few years ago, I examined specimens, 

 that were killed because they were feeding on the spawning ground 

 of the salmon in North Tyne, and found that their crops contained 

 nothing but aquatic insects and their larvae : no trace whatever of 

 spawn could be detected. In fact, the insects upon which our poor 

 doomed friend had been feeding were much more likely to destroy 

 the fish spawn than it was." 



Again, in examining some of the bird's stomachs in the Barras 

 Museum, Newcastle, yesterday, 6th July, I found the following : 



" The two birds (Dippers) from which these stomachs were taken, 

 were shot 6th Jan. 186 Jf, on one of the best salmon spawning grounds 

 in the district, in the neighbourhood of Reedsmouth. The specimens 

 were sent by request, the object being to confute as far as possible 

 an erroneous opinion which was gaining ground amongst fishers that 

 this interesting little bird fed upon the spawn of fish. The stomachs 

 before us show only the remains of insects, stones and shells, no ap- 

 pearance whatever of spawn." 



(Signed) John Hancock. 



The testimony of two such men is valuable. 



Yarrell, in his British Birds, gives a very detailed account of the 

 Dipper, but tells us that he never sate a Dipjyer alive, and that in his 

 lifetime he dissected only one specimen which a friend sent to him 

 from Wales. We may consider him therefore, as far as the Dipper is 

 concerned, not a competent authority. 



Bewick, in his British Birds, remarks in regard to the food of this 

 bird, that it consists of small fishes and insects. 



Bechstein says : " When wild it principally subsists on aquatic in- 

 sects, though it eats also worms and small fish, for which it dives." 



Morris says: "The food consists of various water-beetles, and the 

 larvae of these are its food." 



There is another very interesting point still unsettled among 

 naturalists. I refer to the bird's mode of progression under water. 



