Skull and Beak of extinct California Condor. 



in the tarry beds. Some of these l>inls while eating would, them- 

 selves, in one way and another be caught in the tar, only to become 

 food for those following them. The scattered bones of these birds 

 were preserved in the narrower springs, which in the accumulation 

 year by year, resulted in chimney-like deposits with layer upon layer 

 In spite of the fact of the survival of many forms, quite a num- 

 ber of the species became extinct in the crisis of unfavorable cir- 

 cumstances. The cause of extinction was doubtless that resulting in 

 the death of the mammals, race decay and starvation. .lust as species 

 of birds are fading from the earth now, so th^f 



the 



sp( 

 ma Is upon 



the 

 whence 



ot I iii'i is are lading trom Tiie earin now, so in«», me aiiimais 

 which these large raptores fed perished and they also disappeared 



Whence came the peacock.'' This bird, closely related to 

 turkey, seems to have appeared first in the rocks of India, wL. 

 ages ago it began to spread westward, reaching parts of Europe, north 

 through Asia and east along China and Japan. Crossing the Behring 

 land bridge il came down our coast in time to appear here in our bed? 

 in early Quaternary times. Other finds elsewhere are anxiously 

 awaited, for the migration of the peacock looks strongly toward 

 Asiatic origin. It must be held in mind however that migration was 

 in those days possible toward Asia from here, as was the case with 

 the camel. 



Tf numbers found count for determining the dominant type, the 

 golden eagle was by far most numerous, followed by the black vulture 

 and turkey buzzard, alike plentiful, and the California condor mak- 

 ing about In per cent of the whole, while the largest bird of all, 

 was rather rare being about 5 per cent. 



Among the mammals represented in the beds, the carnivores 

 greatly outnumber all others. Judging from the individual skulls 

 found," 75 per cent are carnivores id' which (Hi per cent are saber tooth 

 tigers, 20 per cent are wolves, 5 per cent coyotes 4- per cent lions, 

 •J per cent fox and the remainder other forms. 



Of the herbivores, t5 per cent are giant ground sloth, 20 the 

 American ox, 12 the horse. In the mastodon, 5 the camel and the 

 remainder, traces ot' elephant, deer. etc. 



2.", 



