464 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



of mollusks, worms, and smaller Crustacea left on the edge of the 

 retreating waves, I now come to those birds which, I think, have 

 no claim whatever to be regarded as fish-eaters. 



First is our old friend the Water Ouzel or Dipper, Cinclus 

 aquaticus, the cheeriest of all our water-birds, but which, not 

 being well stuffed, looks very unlike the burly little bird, with the 

 white breast always turned towards us, that we meet with on all 

 our Welsh streams. The late Frank Buckland could not bring 

 home the charge of fish eating to this bird, although he tried hard 

 to do so. I myself, after much observation, have never yet seen 

 it with any spawn in its mouth, and have come to the conclusion 

 that its food consists chiefly of aquatic insects and small mollusca, 

 in which view I am supported by many ornithologists. We have 

 then the Moorhen, GaUinida chloropus, that seems so domesti- 

 cated a bird that we are all familiar with it; although it is 

 usually found on lakes, ponds, still-flowing rivers, and canals 

 permanently, yet I have often seen it frequent ponds in which 

 there were not, nor ever had been, any fish. There can, I think, be 

 no doubt that it feeds on the seeds of various aquatic plants, and 

 on snails, worms, and beetles, together with corn or other grain 

 when it gets the chance. Hearing the remark, " Here is a rum 

 little fellow," I looked up and saw a good specimen of the Spotted 

 Crake, a hen bird, with the customary red eyes inserted by the 

 birdstuffers. Where taxidermists got this idea I do not know ; 

 the eye of a living Spotted Crake which I had in my hand was a 

 beautiful olive-green, and exactly matched the colour of its legs 

 and feet. In Wales this beautiful little bird is usually found in 

 bogs, especially where intersected by a small warm stream. I 

 have moved six in one day in a spot like this where no fish could 

 possibly be, but have never seen one on an open brook. The 

 food of this bird consists probably of the more minute aquatic 

 insects, something like the Moorhen, which it much resembles in 

 shape. I do not think, however, that it ever touches grain, the 

 places which it frequents being far enough away from all kinds 

 of corn. 



The Water Rail in its habits resembles the two preceding 

 species, except that it is found in such strangely different locali- 

 ties. I have flushed it on the banks of a large lake, often in a 

 brook, sometimes in a dry grass-field, as well as in an open lane, 

 but have never seen it or the Moorhen on the hill-bogs. I imagine 





