10 , THE CONDOR VOL. X Dr. J. K. Townsend informed Audubon that "The California vulture inhabits the region of the Columbia River to a distance of five hundred miles from its mouth and is most abundant in spring, at which season it feeds on the dead salmon that are thrown upon the shores in great numbers. It is also met with near the Indian villages, being attracted by the offal of the fish thrown around their habitations." He also stated: "The California vultures cannot be called, however, a plentiful species, as even in the situations mentioned, it is rare to see more than two or three at 'a time, and these so shy as not to allow an approach to within a hundred yards, unless by stratagem. Although I have frequently seen this bird, I have never heard it utter a sound. The eggs I have never seen, nor have I had any account of them, that I could depend upon. I have never heard of their attacking living ani- mals. Their food while on the Columbia is fish almost exclusively, as this food is always found in great abundance near the falls and rapids--they also feed on dead animals. At Fort Vancouver I saw two feeding on the carcass of a pig." Altho Townsend's statement is convincing, some people have doubted the authenticity of this record, since no one has since recorded the California condor in the region of the Columbia River. Dr. Newberry, Dr. Suckley, and Dr. Cooper could find no other records of the bird in Oregon. The most striking record on the present range of the California condor is one from Douglass County in southern Oregon. This seems very unusual, as we can find nothing else in recent years of the bird living between the San Francisco region and this place, altho it is a stretch of several hundred miles. The Oregon records were given by Mr. George Peck and his son Mr. Henry Peck, who are both reliable ornithologists, and who were both well acquainted with the bird in southern California. Mr. Henry Peck informs me that on or about July 4, 1903, he and his father saw two California condors at Drain, Douglass County, Oregon. They were quite high in the air and were sailing about over the moun- tains. The elder Mr. Peck saw them several times after that. He states the birds were instantly recognized by both of them. Again in March, 1904, Mr. Henry Peck writes, "I saw four condors which were very close to me, almost within gun shot. I recognized them first by their size, and second by the whi.te feathers under their wings. The birds were all flying very low, as there was a high wind blowing." Mr. Peck also gives the record of a condor that was killed on the coast of southern Oregon a number of years ago. These records seem to show that if the California condor was formerly found in the region of the Columbia river, the numbers have decreased and the last of these northern birds seem to have taken refuge in the rough mountain regions of southern Oregon, while the range of the condor in California has contracted to re- gions from Monterey County south thru the mountains of the Coast Range and the extension of the San Bernardino Range into Lower California. Porlland,? Oreg?on. THE LOCUST-DESTROYING BIRDS OF THE TRANSVAAL ? By DR. FREDERICK W. D'EVELYN HE relation of birds to agriculture is one of much importance and is worthy of the closest investigation as well as the fullest consideration in order to ar- rive at results which constitute a safe experience for practical application. The advance of civilization of necessity interferes with the natural order of things, a Paper read before the Cooper Ornithological Club of California, September 2?, :9o7?
