AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



175 



Come fill your lungs with pure sweet air 

 'Twill drive away the blues. 

 Put far away each anxious care, 

 And every worry lose. 



For those who spend the summer here. 

 We've something more than wealth. 

 Come to Dame Nature, never fear, 

 She proffers you — good health. 



AMERICAN DIPPER. 



A. O. V. J^o. 7 01. 



iCincluj mejcicanuj.) 



RANGE. 



The mountainous parts of western N. A. from Alaska to Central Amer- 



ica, and from the Rocky Mts. to the Pacific coast, 

 throughout their range. 



They are resident 



DESCRIPTION. 



Length, 6.5 in.; extent, 10.5 in.; tail about 2 in. Eye, brown. Bill, 

 black. Feet, yellow. Entire upper and under parts, dark gray, the under 

 parts being paler than the upper. The young are white beneath and the 

 bill is yellowish. 



NEST AND EGGS. 



These birds always build their nest near swiftly flowing streams or 

 creeks. It is sometimes placed under an overhanging bank, on a rock in 

 a crevice among the rocks, under the roots of a tree or possibly about the 

 timbers of an old bridge. It is a large ball of green moss with an entrance 

 at the side, the nest part proper being lined with grass. Their pure white 

 eggs, three to five in number, are laid about the first part of June. 



HABITS. 



The American dipper, water ouzel, or water thrush, for it is closely 

 allied to the thrushes, is a very unique, interesting and quite remarkable 

 bird. Technically, it is named Cinclus mexicanus, for it was first described 

 from the mountains of Mexico. It exists, however, along the entire Rocky 

 Mountain range from Alaska to Mexico, and is peculiarly restricted to that 

 region. It is the only member of its family in North America, though 

 there is one species in South America, and another in Europe. 



