. The popular natural history . Zoology. 3i8 THE MOCKING DIPPER.—{Hydrobates cinclus.) The song of the Dipper is a lively and cheerful performance, and is uttered most frequently in the bright frosty mornings. Sometimes it will stand upon a stone when singing, and accompany its song with the oddest imaginable gestures, hopping and skipping about, twisting its head in all directions and acting as if it were performing for the amuse- ment of the spectator. The nest is not unlike that of the wren, being chiefly composed of mosses built into a dome-like shape with a single aperture in the s
. The popular natural history . Zoology. 3i8 THE MOCKING DIPPER.—{Hydrobates cinclus.) The song of the Dipper is a lively and cheerful performance, and is uttered most frequently in the bright frosty mornings. Sometimes it will stand upon a stone when singing, and accompany its song with the oddest imaginable gestures, hopping and skipping about, twisting its head in all directions and acting as if it were performing for the amuse- ment of the spectator. The nest is not unlike that of the wren, being chiefly composed of mosses built into a dome-like shape with a single aperture in the side. It is generally placed near the water, and always under some sort of cover, usually a hole in the bank. The nest is not, however, al- ways so close to the water, for I found one near Swindon, in the side of an old disused pit, at some little distance from the great Swindon reservoir. It was discovered more by accident than by intention, the touch having given the first intimation of its presence. The moss always remains in a green state, as it is placed in a damp locality, so that it can with great difficulty be distinguished from the vegetation' of the spot whereon it is situated. Tlie eggs are pure white, and rather long in proportion to their breadth. Their full number is five, and the young remain with their parents for a considerable period, forming little companies of five or six of these curious birds. The general colour of this bird is brown on the upper surface of the body; the throat and upper parts of the chest are white, and the abdomen is rusty red. The young birds possess a rather variegated plumage of black, brown, ash colour, and white. The total length of the adult bird is about seven inches. The Mocking Bird of America is universally al- lowed to be the most won- derful of all songsters, as it not only possesses a very fine and melodious voice, but is also endowed with the capacity for imitating the notes of any other bird, and, indeed, of immediately r
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1884
