Food-Washing Habit of the Dipper
Food-washing Habit of the Dipper.-On April 12, 1941, I had the opportunity to watch a pair of Dippers (Cinclus me&anus) feeding young at a nest on the North Fork of the Molalla River, Clackamas County, Oregon. The insects and grubs which the parents brought were washed in the water before being taken to the nest. While food was held crosswise in the bii, the head was twisted rapidly from side to side in the water. After washing the food, the bird flew directly to a ledge below the nest.
The nest was 7% feet above the water’s edge and well hidden in the moss that covered the upper reaches of the bank. It was buried deep in the soil and moss. The opening was low on the side. About 16 inches below this opening was a small ledge on which the parent birds alighted. This ledge and the nest opening were both under an overhanging projection of the bank.-Faso G. EVENDEN, JR., Oregon State College, CorvaUis, Oregon, February 15, 1943.
