“In August 1834, while ascending White Coom, the highest mountain in Dumfriesshire, accompanied by my son, I observed a Dipper retreating behind a large stone, over which the water fell, in the midst of a streamlet that flowed along the bottom of a narrow sear or rut. Imagining that its nest or young might be concealed there, we went up to the place, and, on perceiving the bird behind the little waterfall, endeavoured to catch it, on which it sallied forth, plunged into a pool, and attempted to escape down the stream, but without success, for we met it at every turn, and it was obliged to betake itself again to its retreat. We now turned off the water from the stone, when it again plunged into the pool, and after some windings, at length effected its escape. On emerging at some distance it flew off, and I considered it strange that it had not used its wings at first, as it certainly could more easily have escaped through the air than through the water. The chase afforded another rare opportunity of viewing its subaqueous flight, which in all probability was caused by excessive alarm. It flew about in the pool, just as a bird would fly in a confined space in the air, but of course, with less velocity, and on diving at first seemed covered with small air-bubbles which adhered to its surface.
“On being wounded the Dipper commonly plunges into the water, flies beneath its surface to the shore, and conceals itself among the stones or under the bank. In fact, on all such occasions, if enough of life remains, it is sure to hide itself, so that one requires to look sharply after it. In this respect it greatly resembles the Common Gallinule. In the winter of 1829, I shot one on the Almond, which flew to the other side, walked deliberately out into the water, disappeared, and slowly emerged under a bank at some distance, where I found it after wading through the stream, which was partially frozen. Another had just strength sufficient to fly into a deep hole under a bridge on the Yarrow, partially filled with water, on which it was found floating dead. In August 1834, I shot a Dipper on Manor Water in Tweeddale, which flew off, dived, and hid itself under a bank, on which I forded the stream and endeavoured to secure it, but it slipped out under water, swam down the current twenty yards or so, and got under a large stone, where it was traced. The introduction of the gun-rod only caused the persecuted bird to retreat as far as it could, and when I was employed in removing some pebbles and gravel from behind the stone, it slipped out under water, and proceeded down the stream a considerable way before it rose to breathe. I noticed the place where it dived in under the bank, and it being at length obliged to come up to respire, I met the bird with my hand and so secured it.
“When wounded and caught, it struggles hard, grasping firmly with the feet, but does not attempt to bite. I mention this circumstance as common to certain species of birds, such as the Fieldfare, Blackbird, and Starling, which without possessing the power of annoying their enemy, yet do not tamely suffer themselves to be destroyed, but struggle to the last, undismayed, and ready to use the slightest chance of escape. Other species, equal in strength, such as the Snipe, the Golden Plover, and the Lapwing, do not struggle so vigorously, but meet their fate in a quiet and apparently stupid manner. Some birds, again, such as the Tits and Warblers, although evidently extremely frightened on being seized, watch every opportunity of biting. I need scarcely add that some, as the Kestril and Sparrowhawk, grasp and bite with as much good-will as effect.
“The most melancholy ornithological exhibition that I remember to have witnessed, was that of a wounded Dipper which was shot through the lungs, above Cramond Bridge, near Edinburgh. It stood still, without attempting to fly off, apparently insensible to all external objects, its legs bent, its wings drooping, its head declined. The blood was oozing from its side, and gurgling in its windpipe, which the poor bird made ineffectual efforts to clear. At intervals, a convulsive heaving of the chest took place, followed by an effort to vomit; and in that state the sufferer stood for five minutes, until I got over the stream to it, when it expired in my hand. In the agony of death, the pupil became contracted to a mere point, and presently after dilated, when the lower eyelid gradually rose and covered the eye. This is commonly the case in birds, which do not expire with their eyes open, like man and most quadrupeds.
“The food of the Dipper is said by authors to consist of small fishes, roe, and water-insects. Thus, according to Willughby, “Pisces predatur, nec insecta aversatur.” Montagu states that he saw an “old bird flying in with a fish in its bill,” and that “these birds will sometimes pick up insects at the edge of the water.” M. Temminck alleges that its food consists of “insectes d’eau, demoiselles et leurs larves; souvent du frai de truite.” Mr Selby judiciously combines these statements, informing us that “water-insects and the fry and spawn of fish form its food.” Mr Jenyns, more wary, confines it to “aquatic insects.” It would answer no good purpose to bring forward the notions of other compilers. There is nothing incredible in all these statements, although it is to be remarked that no one states that he has actually observed fishes, or their eggs, in the stomach of this bird. I have opened a great number of individuals, at all seasons of the year, but have never found any other substances in the stomach than Lymneæ, Ancyli, Coleoptera, and grains of gravel. As to the ova and fry of the salmon, there is no evidence whatever that the Dipper ever swallows them; and, therefore, the persecution to which this bird has been subjected in consequence of the mere suspicion, ought to cease until the fact be proved. That the mollusca above mentioned form a principal part of its food was never suspected, and therefore I was much pleased with making the discovery, which satisfactorily accounted to me for all the subaqueous excursions of the species.
“The Dipper is generally seen in pairs, sometimes singly, and, for a short period, at the breeding season, in families but never in flocks. In some favourite places, such as a water-fall, or a series of rapids, one may in winter find so many as four or five individuals, but always scattered. Its song is short, but lively, and continued at intervals. It bears no resemblance to the full song of the Thrushes, but closely resembles the subdued winter warble of the Redwing and Starling, or the first notes of a young Song Thrush. This gentle warble is not confined to any period of the year, but may be heard during sunny weather at all seasons. Its common note, which it frequently utters while perched on a stone or while flying along the stream, resembles the syllable chit.
“About the middle of spring it begins to form its nest, so that its first brood is abroad at the same time with that of the Blackbird. The nest, which is placed among the moss on the bank of a stream, or among the roots of a tree in a concealed place overhanging the water, sometimes in a crevice of a rock, or under a bridge, or even in the space behind a waterfall, varies considerably in form and size, according to its position; but is always very bulky, arched over, and resembles that of the Wren more than of any other bird. A perfect specimen found by my friend Mr Weir, in the county of Linlithgow, presents externally the appearance of a flattened elliptical mass, measuring ten inches from the front to the back part, eight and a half in breadth, and six in height. The aperture is in front, of a transversely oblong form, three inches and a quarter wide, and one inch and a half high. The exterior is composed of various species of mosses, chiefly hypna, firmly felted, so as to form a mass not easily torn asunder, especially in its lower part. This portion may be considered as forming a case for the nest properly so called, and in this respect resembles the mud case of the swallows. The nest itself is hemispherical, five and a half inches in diameter, composed of stems and leaves of grasses, and very copiously lined with beech-leaves. I have examined several other nests, which were similarly constructed, and all lined with beech-leaves, one having a few of ivy, and another one or two of the plane, intermixed. Montagu describes the nest as “very large, formed of moss and water plants externally, and lined with dry oak leaves”, and others have stated that the lining is of leaves of various trees, which may depend upon the locality. The eggs, five or six in number, are of a regular oval form, rather pointed, pure white, varying from eleven-twelfths to an inch and one-twelfth in length, and averaging nine-twelfths in their greatest breadth. They are somewhat smaller than those of the Song Thrush.
“The genus Cinclus may be considered as placed on the limits of the families of Turdinæ and Myrmotherinæ, being in fact more allied to Turdus than to Pitta, although through Chamæza perhaps more obviously related to the latter. The digestive organs of the Common Dipper are entirely analogous to those of the Thrushes and allied genera, but bear no resemblance to those of the piscivorous birds, the œsophagus being narrow, and the stomach a true gizzard. The bird, being destined to feed upon aquatic insects and mollusca, which adhere to the stones under the water, is fitted for making its way to the bottom at small depths, and maintaining itself there for a short time, a minute or more; in conformity with which design its plumage is rather short and dense, its tail abbreviated, its wings short, broad, and strong, its bill unencumbered by bristles, and of the proper form for seizing small objects, as well as for detaching them from stones. Having its feet constructed like those of the Thrushes, but proportionally stronger, the Dipper thus forms a connecting link between the slender-billed land birds and the diving palmipedes, as the Kingfisher seems to unite them with the plunging birds of the same order.”
The only original observations respecting the habits of the American Dipper that I have to present here are the following, with which I have been favoured by Dr Townsend:—“This bird inhabits the clear mountain streams in the vicinity of the Columbia River. When observed it was swimming among the rapids, occasionally flying for short distances over the surface of the water, and then diving into it, and reappearing after a long interval. Sometimes it will alight along the margin, and jerk its tail upwards like a Wren. I did not hear it utter any note. The stomach was found to contain fragments of fresh-water snails. I observed that this bird did not alight on the surface of the water, but dived immediately from the wing.”
Cinclus Pallasii, Ch. Bonaparte, Amer. Ornith. vol. iii. p. 1, pl. 16, fig. 1.