40 THE .RIVER-SIDE NATURALIST. 



In Scotland the bird is persecuted, in the belief that it 

 destroys great quantities of salmon and trout ova, as well 

 as the fry. Sir W. Jardine, however, denies this, and 

 says that the spawn of either salmon or trout have never 

 been detected in their stomachs. 



Professor Metzzer has on different occasions found the 

 bones of fish, chiefly minnows and bullheads, in the 

 stomachs of the old birds. Herr Milller says : " I not 

 only learned that the water-ouzel fishes, but also that in 

 summer, spite of his great liking for water-insects, which 

 abound in the Schwalm, he evinces partiality for fish diet." 



There can be no doubt that the chief food of this bird 

 consists of the caddis-worm and larvae of beetles, dragon- 

 flies, and the like, all great feeders on the spawn and fry, 

 and although it does occasionally take small fish, yet there is 

 the usual compensation which always exists in such cases. 



The following interesting account taken from the Field, 

 and written by Mr. Bartlett, superintendent of the Zoological 

 Gardens, is worthy of attention : 



"Year after year I have tried without success to rear 

 from, the nest these very interesting and singular birds, 

 and notwithstanding repeated failures, I have not only 

 continued in this endeavour, but have induced others to 

 make the attempt. In these efforts I have been aided by 

 several, and among others, Mr. R. J. L. Price, of Merioneth- 

 shire, a Fellow of the Society. This gentleman kindly 

 forwarded the nests of young birds, and from time to time, 

 by trying almost every kind of insect and other food, I 

 succeeded for a while to rear the birds, but just when our 

 efforts appeared likely to succeed a change would take 

 place, and the birds would die one after another. Some- 

 times they would get too wet and die apparently of cramp ; 

 others that had been kept away from the water wasted and 

 died of exhaustion. It was quite evident that we had not 

 discovered a food that suited them ; they had been tried 

 with the usual food for most insect-eating birds, such as 

 scraped beef and hard-boiled eggs, ant-eggs, meal-worms, 

 .spiders, flies, beetles, aquatic snails, shrimps, salmon- 

 spawn, and many other mixtures, but all failed until the 



