372 Mr. J. BlackwalFs Ornithological Notes. 



disturbed in a similar manner. After the morning repast was 

 finished I proceeded to Manchester^ and did not return home 

 till the evening, when I was told by one of the domestics that the 

 housemaid had got a fine white owl for me. On inquiring how 

 it had been procured, I was informed that the young woman on 

 entering the dressing-room connected with my sleeping-apart- 

 ment, the door of which was open, felt something alight on her 

 left shoulder, and on turning her head in order to ascertain what 

 it was, perceived the large dark eyes of the owl directed full 

 upon her face : though amazed and somewhat startled, yet she 

 had the presence of mind to close the door, and with the assist- 

 ance of a fellow- servant succeeded in securing the intruder, which, 

 there can be little doubt, was the identical bird that had in vain 

 attempted to obtain admission early in the morning. At first I 

 was inclined to think that it must be a partially domesticated 

 pet which had escaped from confinement, but the very fine con- 

 dition of its plumage, and the circumstance of its declining to 

 take any of the diversified articles of food which were presented 

 to it, convinced me that such was not the case ; after remaining 

 in my possession nearly two days and two nights without par- 

 taking of any nutriment whatever, it was sufibred to escape lest 

 it should die of starvation. In support of the conclusion here 

 arrived at, I may remark that a white owl captured by the foot- 

 man in the preceding winter, on its perch among the branches 

 of a young beech which retained its withered foliage, during a 

 violent storm, likewise refused to take any food ; whereas, young 

 birds of this species when removed from the nest and brought 

 up by hand feed freely and soon become familiar. 



The Common Dipper, Cinclus aquaticus. 



The mountain-streams of North Wales are much frequented 

 by dippers, which occasionally construct their bulky nests among 

 aquatic plants growing upon the face of rocks over which a sheet 

 of water is precipitated. Under such circumstances, the birds 

 on quitting their domiciles and returning to them pass through 

 the falling torrent without any apparent difficulty, and, as they 

 generally pursue the course of the stream in their flight, some- 

 times come in contact with the rod or line of the angler who is 

 exerting his skill to allure the trout from its retreat with the ar- 

 tificial fly. 



I have reason to believe that the dipper occasionally preys upon 

 small fish, for in the months of October and November 1844, 

 ^several individuals were observed to descend into the river Con- 

 way and speedily to emerge with a light- coloured object about 

 two inches long in their bill, having every appearance of the young 

 of some species of migratory Salmonidce, with which they flew to 



