THE BIRDS OF CUMBERLAND, 17 



tail, and then, after a second or two more, it took 

 it up and swallowed it, head first. A few minutes 

 after this, I saw the Dipper take another minnow 

 from under a stone in shallow water, which it de- 

 molished in a minute or two, eating it in the same 

 way as it ate the first." 



The Dipper usually progresses under water by 

 using its wings or diving, but we have witnessed its 

 capacity for walking on the bed of a burn upon 

 several occasions. 



The sweet Thrush-like song of the Dipper is 

 most often uttered in frosty weather, but w^e have 

 listened to it in every month of the year. 



Family PARID^E. 

 Genus ACREDULA. 



A. Caudata. Long-tailed Titmouse. 



The Long-tailed Tit is a fairly numerous resident, 

 having largely increased since the gun licence came 

 in, prior to which we had known an entire brood to 

 be shot off by mischievous boys, owing to these 

 Titmice roosting in a clump. Though we are not 

 able to give specific rank to the British form, op- 

 posed as we are to the needless multiplication of 

 species, it may be well to remind observers that 

 the white-headed continental form has occurred in 

 Northumberland, and may be detected in Cumber- 

 land also in mid-winter. The apj)earance of a flock 

 of adults of this form in their snow-white caps is 

 refreshing to an insular observer. We examined 

 one nest of this species, which had a piece of moss 



c 



