Is That So?
When autumn leaves
have
fallen . and branches are bare,
birds' nests are often revealed to
plain view. Then is the time to
study these nests and in the
studying realize how each spe
cies has its own inherent in
stinct to locate its nest in cer
tain areas and to build it m a
certain way with very special
materials. And in this, exper
ience and age have little if any
effect.
Some birds locate their nests
within the ground, in burrows;
others make them on the bare
ground or atop water; many
place them in shrubbery plants;
and several place them high in
treetops or inaccessible cliffs.
Anions burrowers are the
owls, some of which build their
nest in abandoned prairie dog
holes. The northern puffin ap
propriates rabbit burrows or ex
cavates a short tunnel of its own.
Belted kingfishers and banl;
swallows dig out deep horizontal
tunnels the kingfishers often
extending ten feet.
Some ground-nesting birds like
the whippoorwill and night
hawk build no nest they simply
lav their eees on the bare
ground. The killdeer and tern
at least make a feeble try at a
nest they scoop out a little de
uression on the ground to keep
the eees from rolling out. But
another problem is presented to
the Emperor penguin. It breeds
on the Antarctic ice shelf during
the long winter night when tem
peratures may fall to 70 below.
With nesting materials unavaiK
able, the adults stand on the ice
and hold their egg off the ice on
the web of the foot with a fold
of skin from the abdomen en
veloping the egg to keep it warm.
Floating Raft of Weeds
Water-dwelling birds, like the
pied-bill grebe make a large
floating raft of reeds. One of the
long-toed jacunas, known as the
water trotter, does it more sim
ply it lays its four eggs on a
broad lily pad and should the
next be submerged, simply takes
the eggs up under its wings,
As for those birds which take
to the shrubs and trees, they
too may be careful of highly in
different builders. The fairy tern
simply balances it single egg
precariously on the branch of a
tree with no material whatever
to hold it. The robin rests a
secur home of mud and grass in
the crotching branches of a tree.
The barn swallow attaches its
nest to a cliff or wall under the
eave of a building. While one of
the most elaborate of builders,
the weaver bird, suspends a corn-
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By IUGENE BURNS
Ranger-Naturalist
plicated cradle from a limb
which has been woven, in and
out, and even knotted.
Diverse as locations may be,
the appearance of these nests is
even more varied. You'll find
types from the swinging basket
of the oriole to the open-air
platform of the bald eagle; from
the excavated tree trunk of the
woodpecker to the spherical
mass of green moss of the Amer
ican dipper tucked into a crevice
over a swift-flowing stream;
from the nine-pound hard-baked
clay nest of the thrush-sized
South American oven bird to the
tiny walnut-sized nest of the
hummingbird.
Of cunningly-fashioned nests
there is no end, one of the best
being that of the tailor-bird. Em
ploying his beak as a needle, he
sews together with fibers or silk
threads from a caterpillar's co
coon the edges of leaves to make
an envelope in which he places
his nest.
Building materials used for
the exterior of nests are most di
verse. Although some may use
mud, others demand vegetable
f ibers or feathers and hair is one
of the prime mgredients. Of 794
nests studied at the University
of California, 622 contained
hair. Along with this, special
species - make special . demands.
A duck uses rushes; a flower
pecker, spider webs and down
from seedpods. An oriole, horse
hair and it searches far afield to
find it. A barn owl uses bones
from dissected pellets of its 'prey.
A kingfisher uses fishbones and
regurgitated scales. A ruby
throated hummingbird uses bud
scales, lichen and ties it up with
spider webbing. '
Some Feather Nesis
Although some birds like the
osprey may leave the interiors
of their nests bare and hard,
others like the goose, duck and
swan feather them with specially-grown
down plucked from
their own bodies. The American
goldfinch uses thistledown and
when it cannot find it, often dis
mantles nests of its own and
other species to get it. The hum
mingbird, appropriately, ' lines
his with chestnut-burr down as
fine as silk. And the crested fly
catcher may go far afield to
find a castoff snakeskin to deco
rate its doorway.
. But once you find it even in
the fall when it seems aban
doned, do not destroy this deli
cate handiwork: a crow's nest
may serve a hawk next year,
and the year following, a horned
owl. A bald eagle may rescue
its nest for 35 years, until the
heavy accumulation,, may crash
to earth. And often the thistle
down lined nest of the goldfinch
may be remodeled by a deer
mouse for a winter nest of its
own. ..
(Released by ,
McClure Newspaper Syndicate)
(Copyright, 1955,
by Eugene Burns)
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
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Shady Cove Fire
Hal! Work Begins
Shady Cove-Trail Construc
tion of a new fire hall in Shady
Cove got under way last week.
according to Ray Briggs, chair
man of the building committee,
The work of pouring the concrete
foundations was finished on
Thursday, and work , is . now
going ahead as fast as volunteer
labor will permit.
The site of the new structure is
on the Mobile Service property
which is being furnished by
M. M. Huggins, Mobile distribu
tor for the Medford area, and
will house the fire equipment of
the recently organized Shady
Cove-Trail Rural Fire district.
The volunteer labor is fur
nished by those residing within
the area which will be served by
the district So far, few have
showed up to work, and an
appeal is now made for all help
possible in order that the build
ing may be completed before
rainy weather sets in. Anyone
who can work is "urged to con
tact Ray Briggs at the Advance
Plumbing shop or Roy Long of
Long's Valley supply, stating the
exact time they will be avail
able. According to Fire Chief Athel
Dudley, the new fire hall will
furnish a meeting place for vol
unteer firemen. Drills will be
held in the use and operation of
the fire-fighting equipment.
Seedlings Available
from State Nursery
Salem (U.R) More than
7,000,000 seedlings will be av
ailable to Oregon tree planters
from the State Forestry depart
ment nursery at Corvallis in the
1955-56 seasons, Nursery ' Super
intendent Vern E. McDaniel said
Saturday. -
This includes 2,250,000 trees
that have been set aside for the
farmers who desire to establish
windbreaks, shelterbelts,! or
woodlands. '
The small two-year-old seed
lings are also available to plant
on cutover or denuded forest
lands, to the 4-H Forest clubs,
Boy or Girl Scouts, service clubs
and other organizations. McDan
iel said a special item included
250,000 fir trees-produced spe
cifically for the Izaak Walton
league from seed provided by
that organization.
Court Records
POLICE COURT
Franklin Irwin Brown, no ODerator's
license, $3; violation of basic rule.
$10; excessive noise. $10; excessive
noise, $15.
Marearite B. Collins, failure to
yield rignt of way, sio.
DISTRICT COURT
Gerald Dwayne Green, no mud
guards, $10.
ranR Sidney Lewis, overload. io
William Elmer Han, violation ol
basic rule. S20.
Thomas Jason Ward, overload. S10.
Clifiord William Mynatt. overload,
S28S (bail).
Hugh Maurice Curtiss. inadequate
mufiler. S13.
Milton Leroy Anderson, overload,
$129.
Dean Richard Chamberlain, over
load. $62.
MARRIAGE LICENSE
APPLICATIONS
Richard Lee Wooton, 20. of 1314
South Peach St., Medford. and Marilyn
von der Hellen, 17, of 925 Newtown
St.. Medford.
true-life nature adventure, the
best nature observation, or the
best question on nature and wild
life, a complete 30-volume set
of this world-famous reference
work in a handsome Sealcraft
binding. Each week new sub
missions will be considered.
Sorry, I simply can't answer
your many friendly letters.
Please address your letter to: IS
THAT SO! co Medford Mail
Tribune, Box 575, .Sausalito,
Calif.
mw
. CONTENTEDLY DRINKING MILK, baby Robert Marcus is
ready to go home after undergoing checkup at Mt Zion Hos
pital, San Francisco, which revealed he was in good health
despite being kidnaped shortly after birth. (International)
OPEN HOUSE
Hillsboro, N.' D (U.R) A
burglar ransacked the Hovet Im
plement company here recently,
scattered papers over the floor
and left w?th some $80. Owner
John Hovet discovered , a note
wmrnm
left behind by the intruder,
which said: "Next time keep
your safe and back door locked.
Ha. ha!" , ". '
Dead line Sunday Classified is at
noon Saturday: 10 a.m Monday for
Monday: other days 5:30 oreviousday.
There aren't always mothers
wmmmm
j 51 ' - ' Jky-
7 jnmt 1 1' wmr vbMvtc ,-f""nrf wrm'l'l
Give Generously LMlow to the
Sunday, October 2, 1955
Fescue Growers Vote Approval of Commission Setup
Salem (U.R) Oregon grow
ers, of creeping and red fescue
seeds voted more than 5 to 1 to
create a commodity commission
for their product in the referen
dum conducted last week, J. F.
Short,, state director of agricult
ture said Saturday.
The vote statewide was 156
for the commission; 27 against.
Above Requirements ..
Tonnage represented in the. fa
vorable vote wsas 3,658,225
pounds, or more than the requir
ed one-third of the 10,145,000
Most Fatal Highway '
Mishaps Occur at Night
Salem (U.R) More than
half of Oregon's fatal traffic ac
cidents take place at night when
there are considerably fewer
cars on the road in daylight, an
alysis of reports submitted to
the state traffic safety division
disclosure. " '
Of the 359 fatal smash- ups
reported last year, 188 took
place after nightfall and 79 of
the 152 traffic fatalities in the
first half of 1955 happened after
dark.
The division gave these fig
ures in issuing its annual appeal
to motorists, as fall gets into full
force, to drive carefully especial
ly after dark.'
ft-aoiOi.-AA:.
idlrara
Published in cooperation with the United Medford Crusade by ...
LITTLE DAISY and ALL THE
FOLKS AT SNIDERS
pounds of the two grass seeds
produced in Oregon in 1954. This
is the first producer commission
to come to a vote under the Ore
gon Commodity Commission en
abling act.
With certification of the of
ficial vote to the secretary of
state, the next move in establish
ing the Fescue Commission will
come from Gov. Paul Patterson.
The enabling act provides that
the governor appoint from 5 to
11 members of a commission. A
majority of the members must
- MM
sole drivers! save
g in the past 2 years! 10 less if no
f accident costing $100 in the last year!
Hf Come in-start savingright now!
T. J. HIGHT AGENCY, Inc.
221 North Central
and fathers
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. .. jV.-y.-.ji,.- --..-J
C
rassi
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE FIVE.
be growers and at least one
member must be a handle.
Vote Listed
The vote in the four main
chewings and red fescue produc
ing counties and the combined
scattering vote from other coun
ties included: Clackamas, 53 yes,
10 no. Marion, 50 yes, 10 no. Tin
ion 24 yes, 2 no. Linn, 12 yes, 3
no. Seven other counties, 17 yes,
1 no.
No votes were cast in Yamhill,
Umatilla, Klamath or Clatsop
counties. 1 : . -
20 right row!
Our new auto policy costs you 20
less than standard rates if you've
had no accident costing $ 1 00 or more
Phone 2-5223
n n