474 Birds of Colorado 



yards or so ; then descending, fluttering their w-ings as 

 before, they light on a stone or sod, not far from where 

 they started " (Trippe). 



The nest is placed on the ground, usually under the 

 shelter of a stone or bunch of grass ; it is constructed 

 entirely of dried grasses, outside coarser, inside finer, 

 and the walls are thick and warm. The eggs, five or 

 six in number, are dark brownish-purple, almost hidden 

 by spots and splashes of purplish-black, and though 

 varying somewhat, are very dark in colour. They 

 average -78 x '57. 



Family CINCLIDiE. 



Bill shorter than the head, rather slender and com- 

 pressed ; nostril partly concealed ; no rictal bristles ; 

 wing of ten primaries, the tenth (outer) very short ; 

 wing short, rounded and concave ; tail of twelve short 

 rounded feathers almost hidden by the coverts ; tarsus 

 normal ; claws curved. 



A small family distinguished chiefly by the adaptation 

 of its members to aquatic life. 



Genus CINCLUS. 

 Characters of the family ; one species only in the United States. 



American Dipper. Cinclus mexicanus unicolor. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 701— Colorado Records— Allen 72, pp. 148, 

 161 ; Aiken 72, p. 194 ; Trippe 74, p. 229 ; Henshaw 75, p. 159 ; Scott 

 79, p. 91 ; Minot 80, p. 224 ; Drew 81, p. 86 ; 85, p. 15 ; Stone 82, p. 181 ; 

 Allen & Brewster 83, p. 154 ; Beckham 85, p. 140 ; Pearce 86, p. 8 ; 

 Morrison 86, p. 27 ; 88, p. 71 ; W. G. Smith 88, p. 149 ; Bendire 89, 

 p. 75 ; Kellogg 90, p. 89 ; Lowe 94, p. 269 ; Chamberlain 94, p. 163 ; 

 Miller 94, p. 70 ; Taylor 96, p. 6 ; McGregor 96, p. 39 ; Cooke 97, pp. 

 118, 169, 221 ; Keyser 02, pp. 163-174; Dille 03, p. 74; Henderson 

 03, p. 237 ; 09, p. 240 ; Gilman 07, p. 194 ; Henderson 08, p. 1 ; Warren 

 08, p. 24 ; Rockwell 08, p. 177. 



