166 WOODLANDERS AND FIELD FOLK 



again, the rivers and streams are the chief arteries 

 of the land, and yield to a host of field and woodland 

 creatures the life-giving elements; and, is it not 

 true that whatever is found on the land is found in 

 still greater abundance by the waterways? 



The stream banks have their insects, their plants, 

 their birds; and are not these among their chief 

 charms? The birds essentially of the running 

 water are the dipper and the kingfisher, with a host 

 of others that are less characteristic. 



The dipper! As to just what part this pretty 

 white-breasted thrush plays in the economy of 

 Nature naturalists are by no means agreed. The 

 water-ouzel is essentially a bird of the running 

 brook and its waterfalls, and wherever these abound 

 there the dipper will be found. His most frequent 

 stand is upon some mossy stone in the river reach, and 

 here his crescented form may oftenest be seen. He 

 haunts the brightly-running streams in winter as in 

 summer, and when these are transformed into 

 roaring torrents he seems to love them best. 



Let us watch him a while. He dashes through 

 the spray and into the white foam, performing his 

 morning ablutions. Then he emerges to perch on 

 his stone, always jerking his body about, and dipping, 

 dipping, ever dipping. Presently he melts into the 

 water like a bubble, but immediately emerges to 

 regain his seat. Then he trills out a loud wren-like 



