Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-02-11
Animal Instinct,

The dipper or waterousel ,Ctncl"s
Gqudticus) Is well hn Wn to ornitho.o.
gists as one of the most curious and
interesting of British birds. Its special
habitat Is clear mountain streams
These it never leav' except to visit TIE
lakes into which or from which they
flow. Without the assistance Of webbed
fee, ii has extraordinary powers ofswita-
ming and OF diving II owing about upon
and under the surface with more than
the ease and dexterity of tish-hunt-
ing along the bottom as if it had no
power to float-floating upon the top as
, If it bad no power to slnk-now diving
where the stream is smooth, now where
it is quick and broken, and suddenly re-
appearing perched on the summit of
some projecting point. Its plumage is
in perfect harmony with its haunts-
dark, with pure white breast, which
looks exactly like one of the flashes Of
light so numerous in rapid streams, or
one OF the little balls of foam which
loiter among the stones. It's very song
is set to the music of rapid waters.
From the top of bank one can often
get quite close to 1t when it is singing,
and the harmony of its notes with the
tinkling of the stream is really curious.
1t sings, too, when all other birds but
the robin is silent when the stones On
which it sits are circled and trimmed
with ice. No bird, perhaps, is more
specially adapted to very special home
and very peculiar habits Of life. The
same species, or other forms SO closely
similar as to seem mere varieties, are
found in almost every country in the
world where there are mountain streams.
And yet it is species having no very
near affinity With any other bird, and it
constitutes by itself separate genus.
1t is therefore species OF great interest
to the naturalist, and raises some of the
most perplexing questions connected
with the origin OF species" In 1874
Il pair of these birds built their next at
Inverary, in hole in the wall of small
tunnel constructed to carry private
rivulet under the walks OF d pleasure
ground. The season WAS one of great
drought, and the rivulet, during the
whole time of incubation and the growth
of the young III the nest, was nearly dry.
One of the nestlings, when almost fully
hedged, was taken out by the hand for
examination, an operation Which 50
alarmed the Others that they darted out
of the hole, and ran and huttered down
the tunnel toward its mouth. At that
point considerable pool of water had
survived the drought, and lay in the
path Of the fugitives. They did not all
appear to seek it; on the contrary, their
fight seemed to be as aimless as that Of
any other hedgling would have been in
the same predicament. But one OF
them stumbled into the pool. The effect
was most curious. When the young
bird touched the water, there was q
moment of pause, as if the creature was
surprised. Then instantly there seemed
to wake within it the sense of its hered-
itary powers. Down it dived with ell
the facility of its parents, and the action
of its wings under the water was a
beautiful exhibition of the double
adaptation to progression in two very
different elements, which is peculiar to
the wings of most of the diving birds.
The young dipper was Immediately lost
to sight among some weeds, and so long
did it remain under water that feared
it must be drowned. But in due time
it reappeared all right, and being re-
captured, was replaced in the nest -
Duke of Argyll, in Contemporary Re
view.
WHY Nor ?-Boston owns Chicago.
In Boston there are Il great many more
women than men In Chicaro there.