136 OUR FAVOURITE SONG BIRDS 



probing and poking round the edges of the stones 

 and pebbles, searching amongst the mossy fringes, or 

 in the finer gravel. Then the bird appears again 

 upon the surface, swimming to the shore or fluttering 

 to some big stone rising above the water ; where 

 after a short pause it will return to the stream to 

 hunt anew. Sometimes the bird may be noticed to 

 drop into the turbulent stream, perhaps just below a 

 fall, where the water is foaming and wildly agitated, 

 and we are apt to give it up for lost ; but if the 

 water be clear the marvellous little diver may be 

 watched darting to and fro in active enjoyment, look- 

 ing like a mass of silver. Dippers are solitary birds, 

 and except in the breeding season are generally met 

 with alone. In fact each pair seem to have a kind 

 of vested interest in a certain length of the stream, 

 to which they keep, resenting the intrusion of other 

 individuals. Among the characteristics of the 

 Dipper may be mentioned the habit of bowing 

 the head nearly to the ground and elevating the 

 tail; this the bird is constantly doing when not 

 alarmed or fearful of too close a scrutiny. The 

 birds have also a way of chasing each other up 

 and down the course of the stream, twittering 

 noisily. 



So far as our experience extends the Dipper 

 does not sing regularly until the beginning of April ; 

 it may be heard occasionally in March ; but the 

 winter warblings of this species are exceptional. 



