Birds. 9433 



body a kind of " courtesj," and frequently preening its thick, close plumage. Now it 

 Climbs over the rocks, picking insects out of the moss and lichens; now it wades 

 breast deep into the water, seizing the insects and spiders as they float by ; now it 

 suddenly disappears under the surface, and does not emerge for many seconds. Al- 

 though the water ouzel is by no means a timid bird, it will hardly dive if any one is 

 near, and I have always been disappointed in trying to observe its motions under 

 water. But the observations of Mr. McGillivray, Col. Montagu and others, have long 

 ago disproved the fable of its walking at the bottom of the water, in defiance of ihe 

 laws of gravity ; yet Mr. Morris stales that this is " an established fact " ! In reality 

 It uses its wings in diving, just as the true water-fowl do ; as Von Tschudi (in his 

 admirable ' Thier-lebeu der Alpenwelt') expresses it, the bird " paddles strongly with 

 its wings." Yarrell says that the dipper swims with facility, but I believe that Col. 

 Montagu is correct in staling that it cannot swim on the surface. The water ouzel 

 seldom flies far when flushed, and, as Captain Hadfield observes (Zool. 9174), it " fol- 

 lows regularly each bend in the river, never culling off an angle." When suddenly 

 alarmed it sometimes dives, and is not seen to come again to the surface ; but if the 

 observer will senrch closely he will perhaps catch a glimpse of the cunning bird, 

 standing, with only his head above water, under some overhanging stone. Doubtless 

 the dipper often escapes in this manner from the attacks of hawks, to which it would 

 otherwise be much exposed. In one instance in which this happened to me this winter, 

 the bird sat so close that the gamekeeper got behind the stone and put both his hands 

 in front of the opening ; ihe bird, however, dived under his hands, and came up on the 

 other side. I have also seen the water ouzel conceal itself under stones when wounded. 

 The note of the water ouzel is a rapid " wheet-whii," and is generally uttered on the 

 wing. The song, which is loud and sweet, but rather U'lconnected, is continued 

 throughout the winter, and Bechstein stales that it is heard by night as well as by day. 

 One point in the anatomy of this wonderful bird seems to have escaped the notice of 

 most authors, viz., the small size of the eyes and ears. The exterior openings of those 

 organs, in a specimen which I killed lately, were hardly larger than those of a hedge- 

 sparrow. The gizzard is also very sn)all ; that of the specimen just mentioned con- 

 tained fragments of the fresh-water shrimp (Gammarus Pulex), larvae of some species 

 of Epheinera, and a number of minute pebhles. Under the skin (which is thick and 

 tough) lay a quantity of yellow fat: Tschudi stales that its flesh is eaten in Switzer- 

 land, and is of very delicate flavour. — Edivard R. Ahlon ; Stockbriggs, Lesmahagow, 

 N.B.; Novpmber 14, 1864. 



Black Redstart in the County Dublin. — The black redstart (Sylvia tithys) appeared 

 here on the 21st of November this year. The bird was solitaiy and a female. It is 

 curious I should only notice this liird every second year. — H. Blake-Knox ; Barlragli, 

 Dalkey, Co. Dublin, November 26, 1864. 



First Arrival of ike Snoiv Bunting and Purple Sandpiper in the County Dublin 

 in 1864. — The first snow buntings (Emberiza nivalis) appeared within my district on 

 the 29ih of October ; three were upon the west pier of Kingstown Harbour: on the 

 8lh of November the flock had increased to seven. The purple sandpiper {Tringa 

 maritima) made its first appearance on the 7th of November : since then I have 

 repeatedly seen it. — Id. 



Great Spotted Woodpecker at Reading. — For the last two Sundays a male speci- 

 men of this rare bird has been seen ascending fruit trees in the gardens attached to 

 Mordan.and Oxford Villas, in Russell Street. How strange that so wary a bird should 

 VOL. XXIII. H 



