280 THE WATER OUSEL. 



On June 16th, 1884, an angler, fishing in the Kale with fly, 

 three hooks on his line, having made a wrong cast, he jerked 

 his line to make a better throw ; in doing so he hooked two 

 dippers which happened to fly up the stream at the time. Both 

 were caught by the thighs. After gently freeing the one on the 

 "tail fly," he freed the other on the first hook, when, strange, 

 after being free, this bird in circling round was again caught, 

 this time on the " tail fly," from which its mate had just been 

 freed. It was again set at liberty, apparently no worse for its 

 double capture. 



It breeds early in April, on the bank of a stream, the fissure 

 of a rock, on a ledge under a waterfall, or in a rough hole in a 

 mill dam — sometimes so close to the overflow that the spray falls 

 over its dome-built nest, which is large for the size of the bird ; 

 composed of moss felted together, roofed over, leaving a hole in 

 the side like the common wren's. It is lined inside with strong 

 grass, and an ample layer of dried leaves — chiefly of beech or 

 oak, which forms a cosy lining. The size varies — one I 

 measured was 10 inches from front to back, 8 \ broad, and 6 in 

 height over all. The entrance hole is usually in front, nearer 

 the bottom of the nest, the little doorway is about 3J inches 

 wide by 1J high, kept smooth and even for the birds' curved 

 claws to pass easy in and out. They lay four, five, some- 

 times six, pure white eggs, less and more oval than those 

 of the mavis. The domed nest makes the bird liable to 

 be caught ; sometimes she allows herself to be taken 

 out when sitting on eggs, and, when replaced, continues 

 her incubation. One was caught on her young, and though 

 some of her worn tail feathers were pulled out she re- 

 turned in a few hours and fed her young, and as the male 

 was shot she brought them up herself until they flew. I knew 

 a nest on the 10th of April 1879, at the Kenly Burn, with 

 three fresh eggs which were taken ; eight days after other six 

 eggs were taken out of the same nest, next week another three 

 were taken — being twelve eggs out of the same nest by the 

 same birds ; as it was not again visited I do not know how 

 many more she might have laid. I know another instance 

 where twenty eggs were taken out of one nest. Next April 

 (1880) another nest was got on the Kenly, near the same 

 place, with four eggs — this time the nest was pulled down and 

 destroyed ; a fortnight afterwards other four eggs were taken 

 out of a nest in the same spot, no doubt rebuilt by the same pair, 

 which proves the attachment of the dipper to particular spots 



