MERULID. iF 
them by destroying vast numbers of the water 
insects and larve which prey upon the ova.’ He 
gives the result of the dissection of more than forty 
examples examined by himself, Mr. Gould and 
others, many of which were killed on the spawning 
beds in various rivers. Of all these birds the 
stomach of one only contained a single fish’s egg, 
and that was a diseased one. ‘Vo these remarks may 
be added, I believe, the fact that the spawn of both 
salmon and trout are so covered by the sand and 
grit on the spawning beds that it is impossible for 
the Water Ouzel to get at it, although to crawling 
water insects, which form the principal food of the 
bird, it is found to be readily accessible. 
The food of the Water Ouzel consists principally 
of beetles, the larve of flies, fresh-water shrimps 
and other aquatic insects, and occasionally small 
fish. I have quoted rather largely on the subject of 
the food of this bird, in the hope that the more 
publicity that is given to the various enquiries that 
have been made, and to their results, the greater 
probability there would be of the ill-judged persecu- 
tion against this interesting bird being put a stop 
to, and thus prevent its becoming entirely extinct. 
The beak of the Water Ouzel is brownish black ; 
irides hazel; margin of the eyelids white; head and 
neck brown; rest of the upper parts lead-colour, 
each feather edged with darker, almost black ; throat 
and breast white; next to the white a bay band 
