278 THE WATER OUSEL. 



small stream as to a friend, and tempts the risk of being caught, 

 like a guillemot in a harbour, rather than fly away. If wounded, 

 it glides or plunges in, flies below the surface to the other bank, 

 and, like the water hen, tries to conceal itself among the roots 

 or stones. Although its short legs and curved claws are against 

 its walking on land, and its feet unwebbed, it swims with ease ; 

 its curved claws assist it to cling to stones under water, and to 

 slippery ones above it. Sportsmen and gamekeepers dislike this 

 little stream-haunter, from the notion that it feeds on the ova and 

 fry of trout and salmon, which has been proved to be fallacious, 

 forDrMacgillivray and others opened and inspected many of their 

 gizzards for the express purpose of settling this question. The 

 remains of fresh-water mollusca, beetles, worms, larvae, aquatic 

 insects, and gravel were found, but they never found the re- 

 mains of fish or ova. Indeed it is more a friend than a foe 

 to salmon fry and ova, as it feeds on the larvae of dysteseus, 

 of various ephemera and phryganea, and other aquatic insects, 

 which devour all fry and ova they come across, as proved in 

 aquariums. Therefore it is high time this winter songster was 

 protected, and not ruthlessly destroyed through a mistaken 

 idea. Macgillivray says — 



"I have opened a great number at all seasons of the year, but never 

 found any other substance than Lymnece, Ancyli, Colcoptera, and grains of 

 gravel. As to the ova and fry of salmon, there is no evidence that the 

 dipper ever swallows them ; therefore the persecution of this bird should 

 cease until the fact be proved. The mollusca form a chief part of its food, 

 which accounts for all the subaqueous excursions • of the species. The bird 

 being destined to feed on aquatic insects and mollusca, which adhere to 

 stones under water, is fitted for making its way to the bottom at small 

 depths, and keeping itself there for a short time, therefore the plumage is 

 short and dense ; its tail abbreviated ; its wings short, broad, and strong ; 

 its bill unincumbered by bristles, and of the proper size for seizing small 

 objects, and detaching them from stones ; its feet like those of the thrushes, 

 but stronger ; it forms a connecting link between the slender-billed land 

 birds and the divers, as the kingfisher seems to unite them with the 

 plungers of the same order." 



As proof of this, an old dipper, like an old oyster-catcher or a 

 turnstone, is easily known by the point of its bill being blunted 

 in searching for food amongst stones. Although in habits it is 

 liker the divers than the thrushes, still, after careful analysis, 

 Vigors and Swainson found it to be connected in direct affinity 

 with the Myiotlierina, hence with the thrushes, even in song, 

 only it sings in winter when the thrushes are silent. I have 

 heard it sing in December and January at Eden and the Kenly 

 Burn. On the 21st December 1871 1 saw several below Dairsie 

 Bridge alighting on stones. One sang beautifully, very like the 





