. 
THE OREGON NATURALIST. 65 
March or early in April. 
Sitting on the bank of the North fork of the 
Nehalem river in the northwestern part of Ore- 
gon, one day in April, watching the movements 
of a large specimen of the bald eagle, I had my 
attention drawn suddenly to the movements of 
a pair of Water Ouzels near my feet. 
_ Flying from [ did not at first know where, 
they would alight in the water, and after swim- 
ming a few feet would at last perch on a rock 
and commence that peculiar motion which gave 
to them the name; American Dipper. This mo- 
tion is hard to describe, but once seen can 
never be forgotten, 
After a few moments as if satisfied that their 
actions were not observed, they would plunge 
boldly into the water and dive to the bottom, 
appearing again to take breath and again div- 
ing, to appear finally with a mouthful of moss, 
obtained from the rocks at the bottom of the 
stream. Then flying to their nests, would de- 
posit their load and return quickly for more. 
Both the male and female working, the male 
never too tired to sing a few notes. 
I carefully noted where the nest was located 
and after waiting unul I was satisfied the full 
set had been laid I started to ‘‘collect” them. 
But how? was the question. 
The nest was located on the opposite side of 
the river, and the only means of crossing was 
by a cranky canoe, discarded by some noble 
red man. Not being a very good swimmer 
and alittle afraid of a cold plunge in the water, 
but determined to have those eggs, I embarked, 
Fatal choice! The canoe not being handled by 
skillful hands, capsized, and swim I had to, 
but at last I reached the ‘longed-for” bank 
Like all others 
of thls species, the nest was placed under a 
and started for the nest again. 
water-fall, which was fully thirty feet high, the 
nest was about ten feet from the top. 
Yo reach it I must swim through forty feet 
of rather rough water. After having come so 
far I was not going back empty handed, and 
heing wet any way, I again took a plunge, 
with a hard. struggle I at last reached a 
ledge of rock directly under the nest. 
I quietly climbed up the rocks and at last 
held the much desired eggs. They were well 
worth the struggle that was necessary to ob- 
tainthem. They were five in number and 
were pure white, measuring I.00x 70, I.00x 
UeRAOTX.70, 1.0UX. 74, 1. O4xn7 2. 
The nest was a beautiful one, oval in shape 
about 7x10 inches, and was composed of moss, 
and lined with fine dried grass, very firmly 
constructed. Although I much wished to 
keep this nest, it was impossible as I had no 
way of carrying it. So strapping my box se- 
curely tomy left arm, and taking a long breath 
I plunged far out into the boiling, seething 
water and struck out for shore, which I reached 
after a hard swim, landing nearly a hundred 
yards below. 
This set was collected April 12th. Two 
days afterwards I examined a nest under more 
favorable circumstances which contained nearly 
full grown young, and the next day one contain- 
ing three eggs. 
In building the nest a suitable location is first 
chosen which may be on the top of a rock, on 
a ledge or under a waterfall, but always near 
swiftly running water. The back of the nest is 
built first, and throughout the whole operation 
kept higher, finishing the part directly over 
the entrance last, and securing it with small twigs 
like a butchers skewer. When the young are 
old enough to fly, these twigs are removed and 
the top of the nest falls off, giving the young 
an easy exit. 
The shells are very frail and the best way to 
blow them is to reinforce the shells with court- 
plaster, placing a piece about as large as a dime 
and with a hole in the center, on the side in 
which the opening is to be made, this can be 
drilled through, and the contents safely removed. 
Guy Q. STRYKER. 
While’exploring in the Cascade mountains 
during last summer, Professor Lloyd, of Forest 
Grove, discovered a new violet. It is a small 
plant with a delicate white flower with trans- 
parent petals, and grows in wet mossy places. 
He has named it Viola Macloskeyi in honor of 
his perceptor in biology at Princetown. 
