THE OOLOGIST 



CINCLUS MEXICANA — AMERICAN 

 DIPPER. 



One of the Most Interesting Birds of 

 the Mountain Streams of the Cas- 

 cade Mountains in Oregon. 



With its beautiful clear song it 

 fairly makes the canyons ring during 

 the breeding season. 



Wading, swimming or diving, in the 

 swift water of mountain streams for 

 food, they may be seen, along the 

 higher streams of this range. Build- 

 ing a dome-shaped nest with the en- 

 trance on the side and low down, 

 generally placed near rapid water, or 

 water falls, where the spray keeps 

 the moss of the nest green, also build- 

 ing on shelving rocks or under old 

 bridges or water power plants. 



Nest and four eggs taken April 23, 

 1922, built on a beam underneath a 

 flouring mill near water falls. 



This pair of birds had been nesting 

 there for four or five years to my 

 knowledge, and W. L. Finley took 

 moving pictures of this pair of birds 

 and nest when they were feeding their 

 young. 



Nest built entirely of moss, the walls 

 of which were about two inches thick, 

 and in the bottom of this dome-shaped 

 nest was built a fine woven nest of 

 small dried grass, well cupped, which 

 contained the four pure white eggs. 

 Dimensions of nest: Circumference, 

 29x28 inches; length, 11 inches; width, 

 9 inches; height, 8 inches; opening on 

 side 3x3 inches. 



May 9 this pair of birds had con- 

 structed a new nest within three feet 

 of the location of the first nest, and it 

 contained four fresh eggs; building 

 their nest and laying four oggs in 1.") 

 days. Dr. A. G. Prill. 



NO IDLERS AMONG THE BIRDS 



A close study of bird life shows a 

 most careful division of labor, observes 

 a contributor in Canadian Boy Builder, 

 who knows the value of our common 

 birds and has also detected the recent 

 popular interest in the movement in 

 their behalf. Some birds, such as 

 Swallows, Swifts, Nighthawks and 

 Whippoorwills, sweep the air and 

 keep down very small gauzy-winged 

 pests like mosquitoes, gnats and 

 midges; while the Kingbird, Pewees, 

 Phoebes and other members of the 

 Fly-catcher family take care of the 

 larger flying insects, most of which 

 are injurious to vegetation. 



To the Warblers and Vireos is as- 

 signed the task of keeping leaves clear 

 of larvae, plant lice, and canker- 

 worms. Thrushes, Bluebirds, Robins, 

 Orioles, Catbirds, Thrashers, Wrens 

 and Tanagers pay special attention 

 to the larger caterpillars and tree in- 

 sects. 



Another family of birds has special 

 charge of the bark; among these bird 

 care-takers are to be found the vari- 

 ous Woodpeckers and Nuthatches, 

 Brown Creepers, Chickadees and 

 Kinglets, who keep up a tireless search 

 for insects in tree trunks, preventing 

 their destruction. 



Not only are there birds who work 

 in the air and on the trees, but there 

 are also ground-floor workers. Hid- 

 den on the ground around the roots 

 of trees and in the grass are insect 

 enemies whose name is legion. Black- 

 birds, Crows, Robins, Oven-birds, 

 Thrashers, Ground Warblers and 

 Flickers are well known members of 

 the ground-workers' gang. 



Other birds work in close co-oper- 

 ation with man in the destruction of 

 weeds by the eating of seeds. The 

 various Sparrows and Finches are his 

 constant co-workers. Some of the 



