86 THE DIPPER. 



words " Chit-chit," during its flight, and alighting at no great 

 distance in a similar position to that which it occupied when 

 it was disturbed. 



The Dipper is always associated in my mind with 

 pleasant trout-fishing days on the banks of the Whitadder 

 and the Dye, when, as old Isaac hath it, " I could sit there 

 quietly, and, looking in the water, see some fishes sport 

 themselves in the silver streams, others leaping at flies of 

 several shapes and colours ; looking on the hills, I could 

 behold them spotted with woods and groves ; looking down 

 the meadows could see, here a boy gathering lilies and lady- 

 smocks, and there a girl cropping culverkeys and cowslips, 

 all to make garlands for this present month of May." ^ 



When looking for prey under the water, it does not 

 dive into the stream from a little height like the King- 

 fisher, but either walks into or alights on the water, and 

 then ducks under the surface, using its wings to swim 

 under the water much in the same way as it uses them to 

 fly in the air. This is a fact which has been thoroughly 

 investigated and ascertained by ornithologists.^ I have 

 sometimes noticed it tumbling about in very shallow 

 streams on the Whitadder, with its head down amongst 

 the small stones at the bottom, when it appeared to be 

 engaged in hunting for the numerous water insects which 

 abound in such places. Its food consists chiefly of aquatic 

 beetles and small fresh-water molluscs, many of which are 

 known to be destructive to the spawn of fish. 



The Dipper is an early breeder, generally commenc- 

 ing to build in March or in April. The nest, which is 

 domed and well constructed, is somewhat like that of the 

 Wren in external appearance ; being chiefly composed of 

 moss, lined with dead leaves, and having a hole in the side 



1 Isaac WaltoB, Tlie Complete Angler. 



2 8ee Macgillivray, Yavrell, and Seebohm. 



