Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
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Transcription
Dr. and Mrs. Grinnell were here today to see the young road-run-
ners and discuss the condor situation.
July 14th.
Roundup of road-runners
and thrashers..
About 11 A.M. there was an informal, unprearranged
roundup at the cage in which all participants acted of their own
volition. I was inside handing meal worms to Terry. Archie was
sitting on top of my head digesting a mouse and watching operations.
Brownie, Nova, Roughneck and at least one of the second brood of
this year hove in sight. B came for worms handed him through the
wire, disregarding the presence of A and T. I thought if Rhody
should come the family would be complete with the exception of
Circe and possibly one young thrasher. He did come, with his new
calls, and for a time all birds present were within a quadrant of
25 feet radius--an unusual gathering. I could not watch all of
them at once, but B and N seemed to want Roughneck to go away, al-
though their pressure was not insistent. The other young thrasher
messed about in a berry bush for a time. Finally all thrashers went
away quietly.
Rhody concentrated his attention upon his family, going on top
of the cage to get a bird's eye view and to get near Archie who had
gone up there. R continued his fluting calls, but neither he nor
A, though interested in each other, appeared excited. R went over
to inspect the magpies and while there ceased his fluting. For
three quarters of an hour all three roadrunners rested quietly i n
their respective places and R came down for meat, then wandered off
after a drink and a good dusting.
Weights of young
road runners.
Archie finally condescended to sit quietly on the scales. He
weighed exactly 12 of "its" ounces, or as calibrated:
Archie............348 grams
Terry...............261 "
Difference 87 ", which is exactly the