152 AUTUMNS ON THE SPEY. 



wren, and then suddenly plunging into the stream, 

 where you lose sight of him until he reappears 

 on the surface in a few seconds a little lower down, 

 and perhaps resumes his position on the same 

 rock, or flies to a stone nearer the hank. You 

 have probably read or heard that he can dive with 

 facility and walk about at his ease on the gravelly 

 bottom. Now is your time to watch his actions 

 under water and to judge for yourself. You run 

 quickly towards the spot, hut are careful to check 

 your speed and lie down before you reach it lest 

 you should alarm him prematurely. Again lie 

 rises from the burn, rests for a moment on u 

 stone, and soon disappears once more beneath the 

 surface. Now you repeat your former maiiffiuvre 

 and reach the margin in time, above the very 

 spot where he has just plunged into the clear 

 shallow stream, and, looking down, you distinctly 

 see him struggling with violent efforts to reach 

 the bottom, towards which his head mid neck are 

 already protruded ; working his wings all the time 

 with considerable exertion and <t ]>})<( mit difficulty, 

 quite unlike the comparatively facile movements 

 of a coot or cormorant or any bird of similar 

 specific gravity when in the net of diving. Xo\v 

 he seems to clutch the round pebbles for a few 

 seconds and to be employed in extracting some- 



