600 AMERICAN DIPPER.
hypna, firmly«felted, so as to form a mass not eaalytom asimdeK'ospe-
<::a!1-v ils lower part. This portion may fee fioms'idered as forming'a
case for the. nest properly so called, 'and in this respect-resembles the
mud oaseiof the ..swallows: Shf -nest itself is hemispherical!, five and a
half »cites!» diameter, composed of stems :ui,l. leaves of grasses, and
very copiously ¡»ed with beeeh-leares.. I hare examined several other
Ms,ts, which were similarly constructed,. and all linedvwith'*beechlea,
ves, one having a few of ,ivy, and another one or two of the plane,
intermixed Moktasc describes the nest as " very large, formed of
M m and water plants,.externally, and lined with dry oak leaves ; and
others toe stated that the lining is . of leaves of various trees, which
may depend upon the locality- The eggs, five or six in number, are
of a regular owl form, rather pointed, pure white, varying from eleventwelfths
to an inch and1 one,twe]»h: in length, and averaging nine-
' twelfths, in their greatest breadth, 'They iwe .somewhat smaller than
those of the Boris; Thrush.
The genus «mute may fee .considered as placed on the. limits'-of the
families,of Turdina: and Myrmotherinas, .beingin fact more allied-to
Twim than to Pitta, although through GUmasa perhaps «ore,obviously
related to the latter. The digestive organs rf the Common Dipper
are entirely analogous to. those, of the' Thrushes and allied, genera,
but bear no,resemblance,to those, of .the piscivorous birds, the cesopha,
.gus being narrow, and the ..stomach a true, gizzard. The Jiird, -being
destined .to feed upon aquatic in sects, and mollnsca,. which adhere to
the Stones under the water, is fitted for makiirg its way to. the bottom
at small depfts, . and jKaistaimng itself there for ,a .shout time, a minute
or mure: in conformity, with which design its plumage,-is rafter short
and dense, its tail abbreviated, its wings short, broad, and. strong, J t s
bill unencumbered by,'bristles, and of the proper,,form for seizing small
0bje«$§..-ais: well as ¡for detaching them from. stones.,., Having its feet
constructed like those of the Thrushes, but proportionally stronger,
the Dipper thus forms a connecting) link between the slender billed
land birds,and the diving palmipedes, as the. Kingfisher seems to unite
them, with the plunging birds .of the same order."
The only original observations'respecting the habits of the American
Dipper .«¡at I have to present hem are the following, with which
• I have feben .favoured fey Dr Tojvnsend :—" This bird inhabits','the
cleat: mountain streams in the vicinity of the Columbia River. • When
AMERICAN DIPPER. SOI
observed it was- swimming among the rapids, occasionally flying for
short distances' over the surface of the water, and then diving into it,
reappearing after a long interval. Sometimes it will alight along
the margin, and jerk it's, tail upwards; like a Wren. I did not hear it
utter aiiy note. ' T^e stomach was .found i® contain fragments of freshwater
snails. I observed that:this bird did not .-digli! on -the surface
of the water, l'.ut dived immediately from the wing."
Ci-:sbLns:,PALLjsii, Amor. Orirta.. vol. ¡¡¡. p. 1, pi. 16, %. 1.
CiKGios Amrhjcasi:«, Smaim. oiid ^pJSgAfflnfi; Boi'.-Aipor.. vol. ii.,p. 17s-
Black \Vati:r-Oim::., ,;r Difrau, Nnmll, Ma:iu>il, v61. il. p. 358.
Adult Male. Plate (GCCLXX. M&4/.
Bill rather short, slender, slightly ascending, much, compressed toward
the end : upper mandible with its dorsal line Slightly arched, the
ridge rounded, the'sides convex, the edges sharp and .inflected, with
an obscure notch close' to the narrow slightly defeated tip ; lower mandible
slightly bent' upwards,' the angle medial and Very narrow, the
dorsal line ascending and slightly convex, thé tip narrow and rather
acute, the gape-linè straight: Nostrils linear, direct, in the lower and
fori- part of tlio nasal membrane which is covered with very short feathers.
Eyes rather small ; eyelids densely feathered.
The general form' is short, full, and compact ; the head oblong,
compressed, rather small ; the neo.U rather short ; the body rather
deeper than broad Legs strong, of ordinary length; tarsus compressed,
covered anteriorly with a long undivided plate and four inferior
sçutella,, posteriorly with two long plates meeting at a very acute
angle. Toes rather large and strong » the, first, second, and fourth,
nearly equal in length, but the first much stronger,, thè third much
longer ; tho third and fourth united as far as the second joint of the
latter. Claws, rather1 long,, arched,, much compressed, that of the hind
11 tore: considerably larger.
Plumage very soft and blended, the feathers, oblong and rounded ;
,. those about the. base of the bill very short and velvety. No bristles at
the base of the bill. Wings rather short, broad, convex, and rounded ;
the first (¡uill very short an,! narrow, being about a third of the length
of the second, which is shorter than the fourth, the third longest, and
with the next three slightly cutout on thé outer web towards the end ;