THE ANGLER'S SOUVENIR. 



217 



i 



sliot for the purpose of ascertaining by dissection 

 the truth of this assertion, but I found no trace 

 whatever of spawn in either of them. Their hard 

 gizzards were entirely filled with larvae of phryganea 

 and the water-beetle (hydrophilus)" 



Buckland says: "It maybe observed that I do 

 not mention the water-ouzel as destructive to 

 spawn : this advisedly, as of late I have carefully 

 examined the gizzards of several of these beautiful 

 little birds, and have found only the remains of 

 water insects in them ; write the water-ouzel the 

 friend, and not the enemy, of the fish spawn." 



We think also that it is quite clear that dippers 

 can walk under water. There is no evidence against 

 it except the assertion of those who say it is im- 

 possible for a bird which is so much lighter than 

 water to be able to walk under it. ] f they would 

 examine the foot of a dipper, they would see that 

 its claws are admirably formed to enable the bird 

 to cling to the stones at the bottom of the stream ; 

 and it is, in fact, by their aid that the dipper 

 manages to walk or scramble, not only under water, 

 but up-stream as well. Our own observation of 

 these birds has been keen, and we are convinced 

 that the dipper can, and does, walk under water, 

 and that for three or four yards, and it is some 

 time picking up its insect-food from between the 

 stones. We may be permitted, however, to sup- 

 port our assertion by the following quotation from 

 a paper read some time ago by Dr. J. R. Kinahan, 



