THE WATER OUZEL. 89 



composed of three or four rough fir trees, placed side by side, (and covered 

 on the top with turf flags,) with their ends resting upon two opposite rocks. 

 On approaching the bridge, I observed a nest placed underneath it, between 

 the supporting trees and the turfs ; and as a proof that it was the nest of 

 the Water Ouzel, I observed the parent bird itself fly out of it not more 

 than four yards from me, as I approached the end of the bridge. 



It is still, I believe, an unsettled point, whether or not these pert little 

 gently destroy the spawn of fish. I am rather inclined to give them credit 

 for some little depredations of this kind, although I have heard a good prac- 

 tical out-door Naturalist strenuously deny the charge. He informs me that 

 he has dissected the stomachs of scores of them, at all periods of the year, 

 and never yet discovered the ova of fish in any of them ; yet I observe, that 

 during the spawning season of the Salmon and Trout, which always run up 

 the mountain-becks and burns for this purpose, as near to their sources as 

 they can find suitable gravel-beds to deposit their ova in, the numbers of 

 these feathered attendants vastly increase at this particular season in these 

 localities, which looks rather suspicious. And as this bird undoubtedly 

 preys upon all kinds of aquatic larvae, next door to being piscivorous, I have 

 no reasonable misgiving, but that any dainty looking spaAvn which may 

 present itself, dui'ing those diving excursions, would be unceremoniously 

 appropriated without any regard to the Tweed Fisheries' Act. But as this 

 accusation is only supported b}' circumstantial evidence, perhaps some of 

 the readers of The Natubalist will be kind enough to enlighten us on the 

 subject. 



I cannot say what the nest above-mentioned contained, as its situation 

 was such, that I could not reach it without removing the superincumbent 

 turfs, which would inevitably have destroyed the nest ; and being unwilling 

 to do this, I left the little waterman in peaceful possession of its romantic 

 home. 



Wooler, Jan. 8th, 1855. 



WINTEK.— NOTES AT THE LAKES. 



BY C. W. ROTHERY, ESQ. 



Winter, felt by all in this changeable climate of ours, has perhaps been 

 more severely so by the denizens of this mountainous district, — by man, and 

 beast, and the feathered tribe ; and the vegetable kingdom has nigh all its 

 traces cut away. Wreaths of snow, on the Keswick and Ambleside road, 

 have been cut through five or six feet deep in some places ; forming, in situ, 



