ROCK AND RIVER OUSELS. 283 



particularly the male, was silvery as the moon's, and the birds 

 were not wild. Their song is pleasing, though melancholy. 

 This bird has always been a great favourite with me, most 

 likely from association, for it loves " the unplanted places." 



The little dipper, or river-ousel, is no less attractive. There 

 is a look of loneliness about this little inhabitant of the flood 

 like the solitudes it frequents. Often, in the deepest and most 

 tangled recess of the mountain-burn, or perched upon some 

 gaunt stone by the side of the moorland loch, the water-ousel, 

 when disturbed by some chance explorer of nature, will fly 

 cheerily forward, and, resettling upon the clear water, seems, 

 by the buoyancy of its little movements, to try to impart its 

 happiness to the thoughtful visitant. 



The food of this bird consists of water-insects, the roe of 

 fish, &c. It is incapable of feeding at any great depth, from 

 the want of web feet, on which account it generally chooses 

 the shallows where the salmon and trout roe is deposited. I 

 have twice seen it feed upon some very minute substance about 

 a foot from the surface, but whether animalculae or not, it was 

 impossible to ascertain. The first time I went after wild ducks 

 on the river Tay, I saw a motion in a clear still creek, and when 

 I cautiously peeped over the bank, I discovered the little bird 

 under water, rowing itself both with wings and legs, at the same 

 time pecking at something, apparently with as much ease as a 

 barn-door fowl would devour a handful of grain. It was so 

 intent on its food that I was not perceived for a few seconds ; 

 but on looking up to see if the coast was clear, it saw me at 

 once through the water, rose to the surface and flew away, as 

 with one and the same motion. Another winter, my notice 

 was attracted by just such a ripple in Lennie Water, and again 

 I detected the ousel at his secret meal. The water in both 

 cases was very bright, but, without a microscope, it could not 

 be discovered whether the delicacies on which it regaled were 

 vegetable substances or some minute water-insects. 



In spring and summer these birds generally are found 



