THE WATER-OUZEL. 39 



hanging rock or archway of a bridge. Its movements 

 and the mode of elevating its tail put one in mind of the 

 wren; the white on the breast makes it a conspicuous 

 object, and at once distinguishes it. 



In some counties it goes by the provincial name of 

 Bessie Ducker; in Cornwall it is the Water-Thrush; in 

 Westmoreland the Water-Crow ; in Scotland the Water- 

 Piet ; in Ireland it is known as the River- Pie. In some 

 parts of England the common people believe that the 

 dipper is the hen kingfisher. In the Highlands it is called 

 the Water-Blacksmith. 



The Duke of Argyll (" Unity of Nature," p. 81) says: 

 " The dipper or water-ouzel is well known to ornithologists 

 as one of the most curious and interesting of British birds. 

 Its special habitat is clear mountain-streams. These it 

 never leaves, except to visit the lakes into which or from 

 which they flow ; " and Seebohm says that " the haunts of 

 the dipper are exclusively confined to the swift-flowing, 

 rocky mountain-streams ; " but this bird is not at all un- 

 common in some of the streams of the midland districts, 

 viz., the Teme, the Corve, the Ony, and many others. Its 

 haunts appear to us to be quick-flowing, rocky, and shallow 

 streams, not necessarily mountain-streams. The Duke well 

 describes it as moving about the bottom of the river as if 

 it had no power to float, and floating on the top of the 

 water as if it had no power to sink. St. John says : " In 

 the coldest days of winter I have seen him alight in a 

 great pool, and with outstretched wings recline for a few 

 moments on the water, uttering a most sweet and merry 

 song; then rising in the air he wheels round and round 

 for a minute or two, repeating his song as he flies back 

 to some accustomed stone." 



There has been a question as to whether the dipper, 

 or, as he is called in Scotland, the water-crow or king- 

 fisher, is a fish-eater? Macgillivray, who examined their 

 stomachs, found only beetles, fresh-water shells, caddis- 

 worms, larvae of the Phryganidce, Libellulce, (dragon-flies), 

 and water-beetles. All these insects in their larva state 

 are very destructive to fish-spawn, particularly trout-ova. 



