CHAP. TWENTY-FIVE WATER BIRDS 



FORseveralyearsapairofthosesingularlittlebirds 

 the water-ouzel have built their nest and reared 

 theiryoungonabuttressofabridge,acrosswhati.s 

 called the Black burn, near Dalvey. Thisyear I am 

 sorry to see, that owing to some repairs in the bridge, the 

 birds have not returned to their former abode. The nest, 

 when looked at from above, had exactly the appearance of a 

 confused heap of rubbish,drifted by some flood to the place 

 where it was built, and attached to the bridge just where 

 thebuttressjoinsthe perpendicular part of themasonry.The 

 old birds evidently took some trouble to deceive the eye of 

 those who passed along the bridge, by giving the nest the 

 look of a chance collection of material. I do not know, a- 

 mong our commonbirds, so amusing and interesting a little 

 fellow as the water-ouzel, whether seen during the time of 

 incubation,orduringthewinter months, when he generally 

 betakes himself to some burn near the sea, less likely to be 

 frozen over than those more inland. In the burn near this 

 place there are certain stones, each of which is always oc- 

 cupied by one particular water-ouzel : there he sits all day, 

 with his snow-white breast turned towards you, jerking his 

 apology for a tail, and occasionally darting off for a hundred 

 yards or so, with a quick, rapid, but straight-forward flight; 

 then down he plumps into the water, remains under for per- 

 haps a minute or two; andthen flies backtohis usualstation. 

 At other times the water-ouzel walks deliberately off his 

 stone down into the water, and, despite of Mr Waterton's 

 strong opinion of the impossibility of the feat, he walks and 

 runs abouton the gravel at thebottomof thewater.scratch- 

 ing with his feet among the small stones, and picking away 

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