264 HILL BIRDS OF SCOTLAND 



explain by what means it succeeds in holding itself at 

 the bottom of the pool. It has been asserted that it 

 clings to the pebbles with its feet, or that it holds itself 

 down with rapid movements of its wings. Certainly the 

 claws of a young Dipper are remarkably sharp, as I can 

 testify from having handled a bird which had just left its 

 nest for the first time. I have watched a Water Ouzel 

 as it walked from the bank into a hill burn, and I must 

 say that under water it appeared to move along the bottom 

 with equal proficiency to that displayed by it on the bank. 

 The Dipper seems to be unaffected by the most intense 

 cold, and when the temperature is many degrees below the 

 freezing-point may be seen disporting itself in mid-stream, 

 taking short flights over the surface of the pool, and then 

 alighting and splashing the water in every direction. 



The Water Ouzel occupies an interesting place amongst 

 British birds in that it is the sole representative of its 

 family in these Islands. The Cinclididse, the tribe to 

 which it belongs, are an American family, resembling 

 the Thrushes superficially in their structure. The flight 

 of the Dipper is strong and swift, to be compared to that 

 of the Starling, though I doubt whether it could be sus- 

 tained over long distances without effort. When alarmed 

 both birds give utterance to a sharp note of alarm, 

 sounding like " tzeet, tzeet," and bob up and down on 

 the stone where they happen to be standing. The 

 Water Ouzel is a bird of peace, and it is rare for it to 

 pursue other birds venturing near its nesting site. The 

 only instance in which I saw a Dipper take the offensive 

 was when it chased a Sandpiper — newly arrived from the 

 south — from the vicinity of its nest. 



On one occasion I had a Dipper's home under observa- 

 tion for an hour, and during this time the nest was visited 

 only six times by the parent birds with food. On their 

 visits to the nest I noticed that the Water Ouzels clung 



