68 
THE EUROPEAN DIPPER. 
erected, it accommodates itself to the event, loses 
its secluded habits, and seems to enjoy the bustle. 
It may often be seen perched on the inner spokes 
of. the mill-wheel, singing its low melody; and 
we have known it to breed within the passage of 
the torrent which drove it. In such places they 
live in pairs, each having as it were a locality or 
limit within which they range, and select an 
appropriate situation for the nest. They sport 
about the banks of the stream, flying short dis- 
tances, and during flight utter their single mono- 
tonous alarm or call note. When about to alight, 
they drop or splash into the pools or stream, and 
almost never at once settle on the stones or 
rocks. They are one of our most pleasing song- 
sters, though from the lowness of the note it is 
not often observed ; but to the angler, who plies 
his rod at all hours, and in the most sequestered 
scenes, it is a well-known and welcome strain. 
It may be at times heard during the whole year ; 
but spring and the breeding season are the 
periods when it may be most easily and constantly 
enjoyed. The birds being early breeders, this 
sign of the coming year is often heard in Feb- 
ruary, while the streams are still bound up in ice ; 
and a clear and shining morning, at this early 
time, will be sure to display some of those clean 
songsters perched on a prominent stone or stick, 
or on the edge of a frozen pool, warbling their 
notes just audible above the murmurs of the 
stream. Their breeding places are chosen near 
to the brook or river, and often in curious situa- 
