DIPPERS 



173 



\vin,i;s are short and rounded, and his ]ilumaL:;e is 

 very soft and so thick that he can s;o under 

 water without getting wet. He is shite color all 

 o\er. a little paler on the breast, and his mate is 

 exactly like him, hut the young Ouzel has all the 

 under feathers tipped with white, and usually a 

 white throat. Both old and young have shining 

 white eyelids which show very plainly among 

 their dark feathers. 



The Dipper is a water lover. The nest is 

 placed close to it, generally near a waterfall, 

 sometimes even behind a waterfall, where he has 

 to go through a curtain of falling water to reach 

 it. It is on a shelf of rock, and shaped like a 

 little hut, with a hole on one side for a door. It 



humped u[) with feathers puffed out over their 

 feet to kec[) warm, he is as jolly and li\el\- as 

 e\'er. fie flies ahout in the sn(i\\. (li\es under the 

 ice. and comes (JUt at an airhole, and sings as if 

 it were summer weather. 



Mr. John Muir. who knows so well the west- 

 ern mountains and the creatures who live there, 

 has told us much of wh.at we know about this 

 bird. He s;ivs the ( )u/el sings ;ill winter, and 

 never minds the weather ; also that he never goes 

 far from the stream. If he flies away, he flies 

 close over the brook, and follows all its windings 

 and never goes " across lots." 



When the y(]ung Ouzel is out of the nest and 

 wants to be fed. he stancU nn :\ rock and " dips," 



Drawing b> R B 



DIPPER (J nat 

 It flies well under wate 



is made of soft green moss, which is kept alive 

 and growing by constant sprinkling. .Sometimes 

 the waterfall itself keeps it wet. but the birds 

 have been seen to sprinkle it themsehes. They 

 do it by diving into the water, then going to the 

 top of the nest and shaking themselves violently. 



This bird is a curious fellow. His food is the 

 small insects which li\e under water, and he is 

 as much at home there as other jjirds are in the 

 air. He can walk on the bottom with swift run- 

 ning water over his head, and he can really flv 

 under water, using his wings as he does in the 

 air. I ha\e seen him do it. 



The Water Ouzel cares nothing for the cold. 

 On cold morninETS when all other birds sit 



that is, bends his knees and drops, then stands up 

 straight again, lie hjoks \er)- droll. 



Dr. Alerriam tells a storv which shows how 

 fond the Dipper is of water, especially of a 

 sprinkle, and explains why he always chooses to 

 li\'e hv a waterfall. The Doctor was camping out 

 on the bank of a stream where one of these birds 

 li\ed. and one moi'ning he threw some water out 

 of a cup. Instanth- the bird flew into the little 

 shower as if he liked it. To see if he really 

 wanted to get into the water, the Doctor threw 

 out some more, .\gain the liird flew into it, and 

 as long as he would throw out water, the Ouzel 

 would dash in for his sprinkle. 



Olive Tiiorni-: Miller. 



