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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (July 24, 1955)
Is That So? Although most of us think of birds as accomplished fliers, not a few are masters of the water magnificent divers and sub surface swimmers. In fact, one flightless penguin makes lone submarine migrations, traveling swiftly, and alternately diving and leaping with the grace of a porpoise. Of diving birds, and there are many, surely none can exceed the gannet. From a height of 100 feet he may sight a "fish dcrp in the turbulent water no small accomplishments suddenly close his wings and plummet with the speed of a falling stone. Increases Velocity Should a deep dive be neces sary to catch the prey, the gan ret will increase his velocity by propelling himself down ward with powerful wing thrusts and then, the instant before he strikes the water at around 100 miles an hour, close his wings tightly. So great is the . force of his dive that the momentum will carry his streamlined body downward 90 feet. In such a power-dive, a gannet hit a board six feet below the surface so hard that its beak was imbed ded and it broke its neck. As the gannet is the unexcel led diver, so surely the penguin of the Antartic is the all-time swimming champ of the bird world. Its short legs trailing and short paddle-like wings driving, this expert can arrow through the water at speeds exceeding 22 miles an hour faster than most fish including trout. The penquins underwater speeds are great enough to shoot him out of the water and on to a ledge of ice five feet above the surface. There are other great swimmers and divers among birds. Among the best in both fields are the loons, actually more at home in the water than the air. So smooth k their diving that they can 'sink below the surface with out leaving a ripple and once below they can swim fast enough to outmaneuver most fist. As for the depth of their submarine operations, they have been caught in fishnets 180 feet be low the surface. Escape Under Water Grebes, landlubbers as well, excel in both entries. When pur sued by canoe they usually pre fer to make good their escape by swimming under water. (A remarkable feature of these un derwater experts is that their stomachs invariably contain a ball of their own feathers. Even baby grebes begin to swallow bits of down as- soon as they are hatched. The purpose? Perhaps to act as a fish-bone strainer.) Ducks are so much at home in the water that we easily for get that they are splendid fliers mallards and canvas backs ex ceed 50 miles an hour and the green - winged teal has been credited with speeds from 70 to 160 miles but the last figure) surely, calls for a strong tail wind. As for diving, the old squaw duck of the Great Lakes perhaps goes deepest for ducks it has been caught in gill nets 150 feet below the surface. For all these underwater birds, special adaptations have been made. To bear the shock of its tremendous 100-mile-an-hour power-dive, the gannet has de veloped an extremely heavy skull and tough neck. But that isn't all. The breastbone is strengthened by one of the bones of the shoulder girdle be ing tilted forward and the tis sues of the breast contain large "air cushions" air sacs which are connected to the lungs and can be emptied and filled at will to lessen the shock of the im pact. Its external nostrils can be closed to hold out water. All divers and swimmers are waterproof copious amounts of oil being secreted by oil glands. So good is this proofing that some birds like ducks can tnpn r a whnlf nioht nn thf wat- ci without so much as becoming moist below the surface feath ers. For that matter, the guil lemot which spends almost its whole life on the water will even ride out the wildest of ocean storms. Feathers Resemble Scales The oily feathers of penguins which can be Dressed tight against their bodies, resemble scales much more than feathers, quills being absent entirely. With all these underwater ex perts, as far as I know, legs are placed far back on the body where they can be trailed or used like propellers. Most have short legs, usually with big feet By EUGENE BURNS Ranger-Naturalist in which toes are connected with a web. Brought forward, the feet close to flat blades; when pushing they open wide like paddles. As for paddles, that under water champion, the penquin. has modified its wings once used for flight to make side saddles which it uses vigorous ly. Several other birds such as the puffin, cormorant and some ducks also use their wings un derwater to build up their top speeds to overtake their prey. Few underwater swimming speeds have been clocked and those may be far from top speed: the -great crested grebe, 4.5 miles (man's best is 4.1) per hour; the black shag, a cormor ant, 12, the Magellanic penquin 13; the Magellanic flightless steamer duck, 15; the blue pen quin 18; and our champ, the Gentoo penquin, 22.2 miles per hour. (Copyright. 1955, by Eugene Burns) (Released by McClure Newspaper Syndicate) Free: By special arrangement with the editors of the Encyclo pedia Americana, my panel of judges will award each week to the reader who sends me the best true-life nature adventure, or the best nature observation, or the best question on nature and wildlife a complete 30 volume set of this world-famous reference work in a handsome Sealcraft binding. Each week r.ew submissions will be con sidered. Sorry, I simply can't answer your many friendly let ters. Please address your letter to IS THAT SO! co Medford Mail Tribune, Box 575, Sausali to, Calif. Leever Motors Co. Sold; Name Altered Leever Motors company has been sold to R. R. Parsons, Rose burg, it was announced Satur day. The long established Med ford motor firm. 315 East Fifth St., is the local Dodge-Plymouth automobile and Dodge truck agency. Parsons is moving here from Roseburg where for the past i eignt years he has been a part ner in Barcus Sales and Service, Dodge dealers. The new Fifth st. agency will be known as Bud Parsons Motors. Mr. and Mrs. Earl Leever and Mr. and Mrs. Dick Leever are planning to make their homes in Phoenix, Ariz. Mr. and Mrs. William Leever and family plan to stav in Med ford for a while, and he will re main with Bud Parsons Motors. Lakeview Uranium Ore Above Average Lakeview U.R) Bob Ad ams, part owner of the "Lucky Lass" uranium mine northwest of here, Saturday said he had received confirmation of his ore samples. Adams said the mines ore av eraged 0.68 per cent uranium when graded by the U. S. Bur eau of Mines at Albany. This was slightly higher than the av erage recorded for the White King mine, at 0.66, which touch ed off a full-scale uranium hunt j in the Augur Creek area two i weeks ago. State geologists have report ed that the White King, oper ated by John Roush and party, produced high grade selected samples rated at 1:37 per cent. The average was considerably lower, however. More than 500 prospectors were reported in the region, 14 miles from here. Cushman Legislator Injured in Accident Redmond (U.R) State Representative Earl Hill, 64, of Cushman, was hospitalized here today with a cerebral concussion suffered in an auto accident on the Sisters-Redmon highway Friday. Hill said his car skidded off the road and tumbled down a short distance into Deep Canyon when a front tire blew out as he rounded a curve. He was able to crawl from the wreckage. Hospital attendants said the state legislator's condition was not believed to be critical. Dead line for Sunday Classified is at noon Saturdav. GRAIN WANTED WHEAT BARLEY OATS See Us Before You Sell Your Grain. We Pay Top Mar ket Prices and Can Handle Your Grain Bulk. HAY FOR SALE TOP QUALITY 2ND CUTTING ALFALFA By the Ton or Truckload SAMSON SEED fir FEED CO. 4TH & FRONT MEDFORD PHONE 2-5295 NEW CLUES in mysterious disappearance of Stephanie Bryan, 14-year-old Berkeley Cal., schoolgirl are studied by Dr. Paul Kirk (left), University of California criminologist, as he examines automobile owned by Burton Abbott (center). Purse belonging to missing girl, books, and other personal belongings were found in basement of Abbott home in Alameda, Cal. Police Lt. R. T. Sherry (right) uses tongs in handling articles dug up from basement so as not to disturb fingerprints. Abbott is questioned by police. (International) Sunday, July 24, 1955 MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE CTYE. Eagle Point Youth Escapes When Horse Drowns in River Bill Caldwell, 18, Eagle Point, escaped uninjured when the horse he was riding was washed downstream in the Rogue river near Union Creek recently. Caldwell was on a fishing and camping trip with Kenneth Bit terling, 18, also Eagle Point, the week end of July 4, when the two attempted to ford Rogue river near Natural Bridge. Cald well's horse, which was the first to enter the river, went into a hole. Washed Down Stream Caldwell was washed down stream and toward the river bank where he escaped onto a rock. The horse was unable to get out, became lodged between rocks near Natural Bridge and drowned. Bitterling did not cross the river. The horse was removed from the river late last week. The body had to be dynamited from between the rocks, and was pulled out downstream, where it was buried. Several tourists complained to the county court about the horse, members of the court said, but removal of the horse was de layed until the owner could be located by forest service person nel, who helped remove it. The average depth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence is 417 feet. Use Mail Tribune Want Adt Taipei (U.R) The Nation- j aiist Air Force has added a new wing of U. S. F84 Thunderjet fighter-bombers, it was revealed here yesterday. Financial Independence does not just happen. It is built over a period of time bit by bit. Your savings or investment account is the place for your fund of the future. FIRST FEDERAL SAVINGS & LOAN ASS'N of Medford 27 North Holly An Institution Dedicated To These Who Save when YOU ( ) GET SICK, INJURED or need an OPERATION? 1 y X-ttmy ttrrin 1000 laMt SM " n nr ioAnsith I ,;0rv 1 left Ankle $ 7.50 pood fi" ? 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