THE DIPPER OE WATER-OUZEL 



[ORDEU : Pdsseriformes. FAMILY : Cinclidce] 

 PRELIMINARY CLASSIFIED NOTES 



[F. C. R. JOURDAIN. F. B. KIRKMAN. W. P. PYCRAFT. A. L. THOMSON] 



DIPPER [Cinclus cinclus britannicus (Linnaeus) [C. aqudticus, Bechst.]. 

 Water-ouzel, water-crow, water-pyot or pyet, willy-fisher, water-drill, donk, 

 water-blacky. In the Highlands often called kingfisher (Harvie-Brown). 

 French, aquassiere ; German, Wasserstar ; Italian, merlo acguajolo]. 



I. Description. Rather less than a thrush in size, it may be distinguished 

 by its dark coloration contrasting with a conspicuous front of white extending from 

 the base of the beak to the breast, and by the shortness of the tail and wings. 

 (PI. 33.) The upper part of the head, to the level of the lower margin of the 

 ear-coverts, and hind-neck are of a uniform sooty brown colour, the rest of the upper 

 parts dark lead-grey laced with black : except the major coverts which are black, 

 with narrow bluish grey outer margins, and the wing quills, which are black, 

 relieved on the secondaries by faint bluish grey outer edges. The under parts, 

 from the beak to the fore-part of the breast, are pure white, and beyond this is a 

 more or less conspicuous patch of chestnut, which may extend backwards on to 

 the fore-part of the abdomen. The flanks are of a dark slate colour, the abdomen 

 black, under tail-coverts dark grey tipped with brown. The juvenile plumage 

 differs conspicuously from that of the adult in having the under parts of a 

 uniform cream colour, each feather showing a narrow marginal fringe of grey, 

 giving a mottled appearance to this region. The upper parts are of a^ greenish ^ 

 grey laced with black that is to say, each feather has a narrow : marginal 



* B B 



fringe of black. The median and major wing-coverts have a more .-or, JJegS- cojrtv :'. 

 spicuous sub-terminal crescentic band of greenish grey on a ground colour of dull 

 black, [w. P. P.] 



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