Wild Exmoor 79 



hills and valleys does not depress me ; on 

 the contrary, my spirits are elevated, for 

 the moors seem to contain a very elixir ot 

 life. 



The heather is always beautiful, even be- 

 fore summer, v^ith her lavish hand, has made 

 the hillsides purple with it, and the stream is 

 ever a companion. At this time of year there 

 is, of course, a scarcity of animal life. A few 

 stonechats and wheatears, just arrived, chatter 

 and flirt their tails amidst the rocks ; and 

 the dipper or water-ousel forces attention by 

 persistently curtsying to you from a boulder 

 in mid-stream. He is a delightful fellow, 

 this dipper, full of quaint sly ways ; and by 

 sitting quite still and watching, you may soon 

 learn the ins and outs of his life. He comes 

 and goes briskly from rock to rock, curtsy- 

 ing from every one, and uttering now and 

 then a clear shrill whistle. I have often 

 thought of the contrast between the modes 

 in which man and the lower animals feed. 

 The former has for the most part his stated 

 hours for feeding, and partakes of his food 



