GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY OF THE TEEEITOEIES. 



671 



of Salt Lake ; it was placed at the foot of a sage-brush 5 was built of 

 sticks, lined with tibrous roots; it was uousualiy large for the size of 

 the bird, (measuring over eight inches in diameter,) and contained four 

 fresh eggs. 



Family 2. — CmcLiD^, the Dippers. 



CincJus mexicanns, Swains., (water-ouzel:) 



Xo. 



■"mr S«- Date. 



Measure- 

 ments. 



Locality. 



307 

 308 



62341 $ July 14, 1872 



62342 S July 14, 1872 



7^ Xl2i 

 7^-XlOl 



Mystic Lake, Mont. 

 Do. 



Hob. — Rocky Mountains from British America to Mexico. 



The American dipper, or water-ouzel, is a rare bird in the district 

 through which., we passed, being met with only at Ogden Caiion, Mystic 

 Lake, and in a little canon east of the Teton Eange, near Jackson's Lake. 

 It is truly a wonderful bird, being able not only to walk, but also to fly, 

 into the water. During the latter part of September, when the snow was 

 about an inch deep and was still falling, 1 took my gun and entered one 

 of the caiions a few miles north of Jackson's Lake, in the hope of meet- 

 ing some rare birds. I had not gone far, when, to my great delight, 1 

 saw a pair of water-ouzels on a rock in the middle of a rapid stream 

 which flowed out of the caiion. To my great surprise one of these birds 

 dove directly into the rapids, and in a few momenta returned with a 

 worm in its mouth. I shot one of the birds, which, to my great chagrin, 

 fell into the water and was carried under by the current, and I was un- 

 able to secure it, 



[The nest of the water-ouzel [Cinelus mexicanus) was discovered by 

 our artist, Mr. W. H. Holmes, about half a mile from Mystic Lake, 

 3Iontana Territory, while he was sketching a beautiful little fall made 

 by one of the mouutain streams. The bird was observed to fly directly 

 through the i'alling water, disappearing from view. Suspectiug that a 

 nest must be there, we returned the following day, when, with the assist- 

 ance of Mr. Holmes, 1 secured the nest, containing three young, and 

 shortly after shot both the old birds. The nest was made of moss, 

 measuring nearly a foot in diameter and six inches in depth. It was 

 built upon the edge of a narrow shelf of rock, and so near the fall that 

 the outside was constantly wet with spray, wl^ile the interior was dry 

 and warm. The birds entered it by a small lateral opening in the lower 

 half of the nest, the toj) being built up against a projecting rock. — W. 

 B. Platt.] 



Family 3. — Saxicolid^, the Saxicolas. 

 Sialia arctica, Sw., (Rocky Mountain blue-bird:) 



... Catalogue- Sex and! -p, , 

 ^'^- number. age. \ ^^^"^^ 



Measure- 

 ments. 



Locality. 



214 i 62330 <? ! Aug. 4, 1872 

 24G 62331 U ' An--. 28, 1872 

 248 1 62332 Aug. 28, 1872 



! i ■ 



7tVxl3i 

 6-1 Xllf 

 6f Xl2i 



Middle Fork, Idaho. 

 Lower Geyser Basin, Wvo. 

 Do. 



Rab. — High dry central plains; Upper Missouri to Rocky Mountain 

 Range and south to Mexico. Rare on the coast of California. 



