40 THE DIPPER. 



dipper, recall experiences of moving heavy; 

 furniture or opening rusty shears. 



When first one begins to learn trout fishing, 

 the dipper may make our acquaintance. 

 Unnoticed as he perhaps is during the first ten 

 minutes of our casting across the fast water on 

 an open March day, he soon catches the eye; 

 and the tyro with the rod becomes aware of a 

 dark slaty grey or a light sooty black bird 

 with a white breast sitting on a wet stone just 

 the other side of the run some few inches 

 above the water, who seems wound up to make 

 a certain fixed number of bobs at intervals. 



He is like a schoolboy somewhat watershy, 

 who has undressed and is standing at the edge 

 of the swimming bath constantly gesticulating 

 with his hands and knees as though about to 

 take a splendid header, and who still remains 

 in position. The dipper always appears about 

 to fly off or about to take a header, and yet 

 stops on his stone as though intending to wait 

 and see a fish caught before he takes action. 



He is to the angler what the robin is to the 

 gardener, and in the friendly position he takes 

 up says, like Laura, * so long as you are 

 pleased to stare I'm pleased to stay.' And if 

 you cast too close to him he at length winds 

 his internal machinery up for flight and whirrs 

 off like an aeroplane down stream or upstream 

 never in any other direction, cutting never 

 even off a corner if the river makes a sharp 

 bend, and alights upon a similar stone two 

 hundred yards away to recommence his twitchy 



