THE BLACK-BELLIED DIPPER. 117 



Water-" Wrens," rather than Water-" Ouzels." 

 Two of the leading features in their economy are 

 certainly " Wren "-like. They have no bristles 

 on the gape, and they build a thoroughly Wren- 

 like nest. These two characteristics alone are 

 sufficient to show that they are not Thrushes. 



The Dippers are exclusively mountain birds, 

 and are seldom to be seen away from the streams 

 of the highlands. It is, in fact, necessary to visit 

 their special habitats in Great Britain, if one 

 would make acquaintance with these pretty birds, 

 and, even then, they are not easy of observation. 



The Dipper, according to my experience, is a 

 very shy bird, and by no means easy to observe. 

 I spent some hours last year in watching them 

 in Mr. C. G. Gates' park at Meanwoodside, near 

 Leeds, but without much result, as whenever 

 I approached the brook which they frequented, 

 the slightest noise was sufficient to cause them to 

 fly off to a more sequestered spot, and on the 

 only occasion when I managed to get close to one 

 of the birds, it sat on a rock and preened its 

 plumage in the sun, till I was tired of waiting to 

 see it perform in the water. In Scotland, how- 

 ever, I have been more fortunate, and there I 



