xii BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



out the species to which it belonged, and accord- 

 ingly hid myself and began to watch for the return 

 of its builder. Night fell without bringing any 

 success, so I curled myself up beneath an over- 

 hanging crag, in order to wait until the bird came 

 back in the morning to lay another egg, entirely 

 oblivious of the fact that I should be missed 

 at home. My slumbers were broken early by a 

 great outcry in the little gill. The whole of the 

 able-bodied population of our mountain village had 

 turned out to help find me, and I have good reason 

 for believing that many mournful prophecies as to 

 my fate were indulged in by those who knew some- 

 thing of my queer habits. I suffered that night some- 

 what severely in the interests of science ; nevertheless 

 my ardour was not quenched, and I returned at 

 the earliest opportunity to the strange nest by 

 the beck-side, when a sight of its owner as she 

 hurriedly left her eggs made it plain that the domed 

 house of moss belonged to a Dipper. I have on 

 many occasions since that gratified my desire to 

 spend a night with the birds, both on land and sea, 

 in winter and in summer, and have learned on 

 each occasion something it was both pleasant and 

 profitable to know. 



I have been a bird lover and collector for upwards 

 of twenty years, and much of this work has been 

 written from my own specimens and note-books, 

 giving, of course, in the case of the birds themselves, 

 due care to the parts that fade and alter after 

 death. I have also freely consulted and unreservedly 

 acknowledge my indebtedness to such authorities 



