I04 STORIES ABOUT BIRDS. 



Sometimes he tumbles about under the water hi a very odd way, with his 

 head downwards, as if he were picking up something. 



He does not go very far under the water, but soon comes up again and 

 settles on a stone ; nor does he walk on the bottom of the stream, for he is 

 more of a hopping than a walking bird. His curved claws are very little use 

 in running, but they can take hold of the slippery stones, and give him a firm 

 footing. He utters a note as he flies like the word " chit ;" but, besides this, 

 the dipper can warble a pleasant little song of his own, and that he keeps on 

 singing all the year round. 



The nest is placed in a snug place on the bank of the stream, or in the 

 roots of some tree that overhangs the water, or in a retired spot under a 

 hedge. It is rather large, and a little like that of the wren, with a hole in 

 front. It is made of the stems and leaves of grasses, and the lining is of leaves. 

 Sometimes the leaves are from the beech-tree, and sometimes of ivy, according 

 to the trees that are growing near the spot. Five or six white eggs are laid 

 in this snug warm retreat ; and when the dippers have chosen the spot for the 

 nest, they will come back to it year after year. 



The young dippers, like all other little birds, are extremely hungry, and 

 require a great deal of attention from their parents. They stretch their heads 

 over the nest a long way when they see the old birds coming; and if they are 

 alarmed by anything, they will flutter out and drop into the water. Then 

 they dive down, and come up at a safe distance. 



The young dipper has a bill like his near relative the thrush, only rather 

 more slender. But he is not destined to live the life of the thrush, so his bill 

 alters a little as he grows older. It becomes shorter, and the tips are like those 

 of the woodpecker's bill. His claws also get blunted with scrambling about 

 among the stones at the bottom of the water, to look for insects and worms. 

 Though he is accused of injuring the salmon and trout, you must not suppose 

 he has the same diet as the kingfisher. The fact is, he does not live on fish, 

 but on water insects and the tiny soft-bodied creatures that hide among the 

 stones ; and he has a gizzard like the thrusli, which the fish and flesh eating 

 birds have not. 



