Bird lore - Project Puffin

An Ancient Bird Census in Asphaltic Petroleum 209
far as known, either fossil or existing, is the bird Miller named Teratornis
(meaning 'Terrible Bird')—a huge sailing bird larger than any existing
species. A wishbone has been found that measures 7 by 43^ inches from tip
to tip, and the skull is larger than that of an Ostrich. Dr. Merriam tells of a
legend among a tribe of California Indians of a gigantic Vulture so large that
he was able to capture the Condor and carry him up through a hole in the sky,
which leads Miller to think that Teratornis may have existed after the advent
of man and given rise to the legend. Indeed, some scientists think that all
the bird remains recovered from La Brea represent a time after the advent
of man, and that he, perhaps, assisted in their extermination. The generally
larger size of the ancient birds is noted.
And so the tar-pools are unfolding their marvelous record of life in a former
geological period of nobody knows how many centuries ago.
THE
Oregon Notes
By SARAH GRACE PICKENS, La Grande, Ore.
Western Evening Grosbeak is generally considered a late winter
bird, but it appears in our vicinity in eastern Oregon at a much earlier
date. Last autumn the leaves were not yet off the trees when we saw
a flock of them feeding on box-elder seeds in the center of the town. It was
December 16, however, before they visited our garden, alighting on the sun-
flowers and chirping in their peculiarly chicken-like manner.
Juncos had been attracted to our bird-shelf attached to a long window in
the kitchen, and the Redpolls also came, although they refused the canary
seed scattered for them and touched only the water. After the visit of the
Grosbeaks to the sunflowers, we decided to put sunflower seed out, and by the
20th the Grosbeaks came. From that time on they held undisputed posses-
sion of the shelf, the Redpolls, which also ate the sunflower seed, leaving
shortly after the Grosbeaks descended upon us.
For descend upon us they did. The flock was scarcely ever less than fifteen
or twenty in number, and twice great flocks of them came down, covering
the trees and ground, digging the box-elder seed from the dry grass, and fighting
for possession of shelf and seed-box in the tree beside the window. We
estimated that there were over sixty in the flock. This, however, was unusual,
the flock, as before mentioned, being generally about twenty strong. Shortly
after daybreak they would come and call cheep! cheep! and talk sweetly
among themselves. I would try hard not to listen, but I could not forget the
empty shelf and the hungry birds, and I would always end by getting up and
scattering the seed for them from the window, and breaking the ice from their
earthen drinking-saucer, filling it with lukewarm water so that it would not
freeze so rapidly.