Bird Notes, Part 4, v661
Page 299
Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. | www.biodiversitylibrary.org
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