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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 1956)
0 Is That Ever been tickled silly? Then perhaps you know how a bird may feel when it's anting. Anting? you ask. What's that? Anting is the placing of live ants by the bird in its own wing and tail feathers perhaps to aid in its toilet, perhaps to stimul ate it. And, somewhat as with human tickling, the results are o overpowering that the bird seems transported into a state of ecstasy in which fellow it' 1-28-5-6 rivalry, domination and enmity are often forgotten. Strangely enough, as common and clownishly funny as bird anting may be, it took an observ ant youngster, Peter Bradley, to bring bird anting to the atten tion of the world's bird experts. And now, scarcely a score of years later, thanks to him, it is commonly recognized among bird experts. Watching starlings pick up ants and stow them beneath their wings, Peter reported this at once to an authority on Aus tralian birds, A. H. Chisholm. 0 Although doubting the boy's eyesight, Chisholm in turn re ported it in a bird magazine and soon afterwards received confirmation from bird observ ers in four continents corrobor ating the small boy's observation. Because the performance is usually extremely rapid it is most difficult to follow . . . with a resultant confusion among ob servers as to just what is going on. Observer! Agree But upon this, all observers agree: the gyrations a bird goes through in anting can be hil ariou? to watch. To place the ant under the wings, the tail is sometimes brought so far under and forward that the bird steps on itp and then he may tumble qver or even make a complete somersault. Among wild birds observed taking this anting treatment, q have been a flock of 30 gross beaks essentially quarrelsome birds taking turns, one at a time, occupying a small two by two-foot ant-occupied area; at another time, a pair of starlings settled themselves into an ants' nest and then threw the ants over their feathers with every sign of solid enjoyment. Tame jays, crows and thrushes have been se$ too the latter some times taking 25 minutes for the ant-toileting. But more than these, robins particularly seem given to anting in one report, a robin drove off a second from the ant bed; and he was replaced by a third who occupied the favored spot for a few minutes; and then the three birds took "turn and turn about." To make a thorough study of this curious behavior, H. Roy Ivor, a Canadian ornithologist, scattered a shovelful of earth containing several hundred ants over part of the floor in his aviary and then stretched out on the floor close to birds at times within 16 inches to watch (Jheir reactions. (Some actually anted in his cupped hand.) In 16 experiments, 20 to his 31 species anted. Add these 20 species to 20 others which have been report ed and wt have a total of at least 40 species which antt Pleasure Accompanies With his laboratory study, Ivor confirmed what others had reported: the birds picked the live ants up with the tip of their bills and placed the ants on the undersides of the primary feathers of wing and tail. Evid ently, great pleasure acconpan- ied the act because the birds often closed their eyes and re , mained quiet, minutes at a time. (A procedure not unlike that of some humans when they have their back scratched.) Apparently, anting is instinc tive: at least when young starl ings and a baby dipper were first presented with ants, they promptly seized them in their beaks and passed them through, their feathers. Why ant? - Some bird experts say the the ants crawling over the skin stimulates it. Or, that the small nipping the ants may do is ex hilarating. Or, that the formic acid ants give off is a skin stimulant. Or, the formic acid is a pleasing . odor. Or, it has antiseptic properties. Or, the ants rid the birds of parasites. As for me, I'd just as soon believe that it's a mild form Buy At Builders Supply QUALITY BLOCKS Bricks. Flues Drain Tile T27 W. McAndrews Phone 2-4107 gy EUGENE BURNS Rjnger-Nituralitt of tickling or back scratching the ants get at areas of the wing and tail which the bird cannot reach with beak or claw. But whatever, this act which was first called to 'the . world's attention by a smal boy may well remain an ornithological mystery. And isn't that just as well? (Copyright, 1956, by Eugene Burns) (Released by McClure Newspaper Syndicate) Free: By special arrangement with the editors of the Ency clopedia Americana, my panel of judges will award each week to the reader who sends me the best true-life nature adventure, the best nature observation, or the best question on nature and wildlife, a complete 30-volume set of this world-famous refer ence work in a handsome Seal craft binding. Each week new submissions 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. FORWARD PROTEST Vienna, Austria (U.R) Austria Friday forwarded a strong pro test to Hungary over the viola tion of Austrian air space by two Communist jet fighters last Saturday. Lawsuit Asks Grants Pass To Be Declared Railroad Portland (U.R) Federal court here has been petitioned by three Grants Pass business men who want the city of Grants Pass to be declared a railroad. Some 40 years ago the city built a" now abandoned 144 miles railway leading out of town. The road was surrendered to. the California and Oregon Coast Railroad company and was taken over by receiver C. H. Demaray in 1925. The federal court complaint states the road was "revested" to the city in 1952 "subject only to the receivership and the obliga tions thereof" by the Josephine county circuit court. While the road was abandoned by the city in 1954, the com plaint charges the abandonment was illegal because it was with out Interstate Commerce com mission approval. The S.H.&W. Lumber com pany, Chapman Lumber com pany and John Bakshas of Grants Pass claim that abandon ment of the line has damaged them and forced them to use trucks. The city of Grants Pass as serts, however, that it is not a Sunday, January 29, 1958 t railroad and has no legal liabil ity to the businessmen. Defendants, besides the city, are the California and Oregon Coast railway and Demaray. SICN CONTRACT Klamath Falls (U.R) A con ract caling for a 4Vi per cent wage increase and fringe bene fits was signed Friday by rep resentatives of Klamath Basin Pine Mills Co. of Klamath Falls and the - International Wood workers of America local, ac cording to Hal Geiger, union business agent. The agreement affects about 350 employes and was similar to agreements reach ed with five associations in the fir industry. MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBTJX E SYLVAN I A TELEVISION featuring HA tO LIGHT FIRST in eye comfort FINEST in performance FOREMOST in styling CITY APPLIANCE, INC. 127 North Central Phone 3-5306 r 1 Slew Cflnewolet YaskFirce TirincEks for '5(BS "m n, . ,, . 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