The Oregon Naturalist. 



Vol. IV. Palestine, Oregon, November 1897. No 7. 



HOW WISELY NATURE PRO- April. In the East luany cattle die 

 VIDES FOR THE BIRDS. at the close of Winter and the advent 



of Spring, these serve in part as food 



BY GEO. F. BRENINGER, PHOENIX, j-^^ ^j^^ y^^„,^ ^,^,^^^ ,^j,i|g ^t^.^j. 



ARIZONA. things that make up the balance are 



found more plentiful then than later 



One of the most interesting studies ^„ Strange aS it may seem the 

 in Ornithology is the time of the year white-necked Raven, a bird closely 

 in which different species of birds nest, ^„j^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^. ^„^ ^^ ^he casual 

 and the food supply upon which the observer known as such hatches its 

 young are to be fed. y^,^^^^ j,^ y^^„^ ^^^, ^^^^, ^,^^ j^,„^ 



We are told by those who have -^ ^^^^ „,y pleasure to learn a little of 

 studied the relative effects of dry sea- ^^^ „idification of this Raven, 

 sons upon the birds in regions of Solitary Ravens were seen at inter- 

 scant rainfall that species feeding vals while crossing the desert, but not 

 principally upon seeds as the family ^^^^^j, ^^^^^^^^ ^^,^^ reached were any 

 Calipeplacolinus (Quail) do not nest ^^eat numbers seen. Here I secured 

 at all. This wise provision of natuie fonr birds, among these were two fe- 

 is plainly shown in the genas Loxia ,„^i^, p^^,„ „j^ f^^^^^^ experience 

 (C.o.s.sbills) bringing forth their young ^^-^^^ ^j,^ ^^^^^, j naturally expected 

 amid winter's blasts, with its ice and ^^^^^^ ^^^ lateness of the season that I 

 snow. At that .season of the year g^,„„i^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^,^ to collect any of 

 there is an abundance of of pine ^jj^j,. ^^^^ ^he ovaries of the two 

 .seeds, which after April i.st have all female Ravens taken were examined, 

 fallen from the cones, and with the ^^^ .^,-j,, g^^pri.se I saw that the ova 

 melting of snows and Spring rains had only be^an to enlarge, 

 have gone deep into the ground. Proceeding southward from Tucson 



In the eastern states the American ^^ ^^^,„g „p^,„ ^^^^ g^^,,^^ j^^^^ j^jo,^,,. 

 Goldfinch brings forth its young with t^ins. Between this range of moun- 

 the ripening of the thistle, usually in tains with the Huachncas on one side 

 August. In California the same bird ^„,| t,,^ Mustang Mountains on the 

 nests in May. Every farmer's boy other is a grassy plain stretching far 

 whose home happens to be wheie to the .southward into Sonora, Mexico. 

 Glows are abundant can tell you that This plain has a mean elevation of 

 their nest.s contain eggs early in about 4000 feet, in consequence of this 



