2 NOTES ON NEW ENGLAND BIRDS 



in their fear, but the dipper shows itself close to the 

 shore, and when they enter the water again joins them 

 within two feet, still diving from time to time and 

 threatening to come up in their midst. They return 

 up-stream, more or less alarmed, and pursued in this 

 wise by the dipper, who does not know what to make of 

 their fears, and soon the dipper is thus tolled along to 

 within twenty feet of where I sit, and I can watch it at 

 my leisure. It has a dark bill and considerable white 

 on the sides of the head or neck, with black between 

 it, no tufts, and no observable white on back or tail. 

 When at last disturbed by me, it suddenly sinks low 

 (all its body) in the water without diving. Thus it can 

 float at various heights. (So on the 30th I saw one sud- 

 denly dash along the surface from the meadow ten rods 

 before me to the middle of the river, and then dive, and 

 though I watched fifteen minutes and examined the 

 tufts of grass, I could see no more of it.) 



PIED-BILLED GREBE ^ 



Oct. 17, 1855. I saw behind (or rather in front of) 

 me as I rowed home a little dipper appear in mid-river, 

 as if I had passed right over him. It dived while I 

 looked, and I could not see it come up anywhere. 



Sept. 9, 1858. Watched a little dipper ^ some ten rods 



^ [Probably moat of the " little dippers " whicli are referred to cas- 

 ually in Thoreau's Journal were of this species, though some were un- 

 doubtedly the (in fresh water) rarer horned grebe and others the buffle- 

 head duck.] 



^ [On the 30th of the same month Thoreau saw a " little dipper " 

 which was "much smaller " than any others he had seen that season 

 and concluded that he had not seen the real little dipper before. What 



