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Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953 Text With digital objects
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The cedar waxwing

This manuscript begins with explaining how bird names are chosen and that it is often connected to food habits or a distinguishing feature of the plumage. In the case of the cedar waxwing, it is named for its fondness for cedar berries and that the tips of its wings look like ceiling wax. The documents goes on to point out the peculiarity of the bird being classified as a song bird as they do not have song. Other topics include where the birds can be found and other similar species.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Rabbits and hares

Manuscript stating that jack rabbits are not rabbits, instead belonging to the hare family.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Raining toads

Manuscript recounting an encounter with a group of toads. The document describes how the toads possess a bone that allows them to use their hind feet to burrow into the ground in order to get closer to moisture when rain is lacking. The author and the group watched as the animals used ant hills as a buffet to feed themselves. The author comments that it is no wonder that some believe that amphibians rain from the sky because this species emerges with the coming rain and disappears as the sun comes out.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Robins kick older children out

Manuscript describing a pair of robins whose older offspring attempted to bait their parents into feeding them, despite being old enough to feed themselves.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Duck hunting on the Columbia

Manuscript relating a conversation with H. S. Rowe, who along with Mr. Harrison, owned a large number of acres of land on Sauvie's Island, which happened to be excellent for duck hunting. Mr. Rowe went hunting in the year of 1907 with his son and netted the allotted amount of birds. Further comments about the plentiful number of birds for sport are included in the document. Later in 1913, a protection for migratory birds passed and closed down the hunting season. The author commented that despite the season being closed for 22 years, the number of ducks have not returned to previous numbers.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

The extinct passenger pigeon

Manuscript detailing the vanishing of the passenger pigeon in America. The author infers that the factor that led to their decline is that they nested in large colonies, making them easy prey for hunters looking to sell them. The document emphasizes that the loss of this bird echoes the need for improvement when it comes to wildlife conservation.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Wild or band-tailed pigeons

Manuscript that looks over a few previous records of wild pigeons provided by O. G. Delaba and W. B. Jennings. There is a note in parentheses asking to report any spottings of the birds to Finley or Averill. The author reflects that the number of pigeons has declined dramatically.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Little brother of the bear - The raccoon

Manuscript that likens raccoons to bears in the first paragraph due to the raccoon's appearance. Later, it is established that raccoons are an American animal as they were not found anywhere else. In early American history raccoon skins were used as currency, mainly for apparel reasons, but now the animal can be considered a pet. The author warns that they are rambunctious in captivity. There is a brief mention of an exchange between a pet raccoon and a cat.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

The American white pelican

Manuscript that focuses on the American white pelican, which according to this document, has an unattractive appearance. The document also describes how the pelican feeds its young.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Records of ducks over baited waters

Manuscript that delves into the game records for duck hunting, finding that the two states with the largest number of birds bagged were permitted to use bait. The author explains that the reason why there was such a concentration of birds in California and Illinois, is that they lie on the most naturally attractive waterways. Other states are mentioned, but the main focus is on California and Illinois. The document goes on to say that the practice of baiting creates an unfair advantage and those that do not bait tend to later follow after seeing the baiters' success. The federal government banned the use of bait in respects to duck hunting.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Game management school at Corvallis

Manuscript praising the establishment of the Oregon State Agricultural College. There is praise also for the courses in game management that will be offered. The courses are considered to be the best measurement instituted in order to develop wildlife resources for Oregon. The college will offer several courses that will provide training for game management of estates and land using industries. Local establishments such as game refuges and fish hatcheries will be used to give hands on experience. At the time, Oregon was the only state in the west to receive federal funding for education in respects to conservation of wildlife.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Needless destruction of game resources

Manuscript that explores the senseless killing of wild animals. Despite being a protected animal, a black bear mother and cub had been shot down. The author contends that black bears are the most human of wild animals in the Oregon woods. The author also describes characteristics of the bear and what it eats. The document goes on to say that there are people who simply enjoy being out in nature and can truly appreciate a wildlife sighting. However, due to hunters, those people are robbed of these experiences.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Late nesting of bobwhite quail

Manuscript that relays the discovery of a bobwhite quail's nest in January, which is fairly late in the nesting season. The remaining content describes the value of the bird on farms.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Moulting season for birds

Manuscript commenting on the lack of bird songs and sightings in the month of August due to molting. As soon as the season is over, the birds actively seek out others in order to flock, which provides protection against predators.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Flocking of the swallows

Manuscript on the spotting of a large group of swallows near a roadside. The author goes on to discuss how the birds are joined by other flocks to travel in large groups in order to hide their true numbers from predators.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Oregon upland game bird survival

Manuscript delving into the difficult situation of population increase in Oregon and how that is effecting the game birds of the area. The author sees two options of dealing with this predicament. The first is to use the funding for game farms to breed Chinese pheasants and release them for hunting use. The second is to enact a plan to save the disappearing native game birds. This option is difficult because it requires extensive research before a plan can be considered. The author contends that the best people to aid with this research are young students trained in scientific thinking, who possess patience and a good work ethic.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Wealth may come from primitive areas in Oregon

Manuscript that examines the uptick of interest and financial gain in Oregon's outdoors. A particular interest in the Rogue River Valley is explored. The author comments on the amount of funds for paving roads in order to allow people to access the wilderness easily. The document also points out that there are many ways to destroy natural areas, but few are considering how to preserve them.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Varied thrush or Alaska robin

Document that contains two manuscripts. The first is on the subject of the Varied Thrush (also known as the Alaska or Oregon Robin). John Burroughs wrote a poem about the peculiar bird after his first sighting in Alaska. The second manuscript focuses on the black woodpecker. Captain Lewis of Lewis and Clark fame, authored the first known record of the bird. At Lewis's request, Alexander Wilson created a colored drawing of the bird.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

The story of the swan song is not all myth

Manuscript that looks at the two species of swan found in America, the whistling and trumpeter swans. Both were found by Lewis and Clark. The author mentions that the swan song has long been associated with death and in comments that this can be applied to the trumpeter swan due to the decline in numbers of the bird.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

The romance of swans sometimes goes haywire

Manuscript chronicling the failure of introducing two male swans to two female swans who had been companions for a few years. The author points out that partners should be introduced in the first two years of life as swans mate for life. After such a long period of association, the two birds became dependent upon each other for all types of companionship long before the males were introduced.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

The opossum, new settler coming to Oregon

The author in this manuscript describes an incoming resident to the Oregon landscape, the opossum. In this document the diet of the animal, its ecological preferences, and where it can be typically found are among the topics discussed. According to this text, the animal is one of the oldest living mammals and the oldest of the group in America.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Columbia River pollution

Manuscript describing the problem of pollutants being dumped into the Willamette River and later traveling to the Columbia River where pollution is killing the fish. The author asserts that individual sportsmen and anglers have to follow the pollution laws but companies are not being held to the same standard. The author also states that citizens of Portland were initially on board to install sewage systems but support vanished once it was realized that the funding would come from property owners and not the government.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Mountain sheep or bighorn

Manuscript that discusses the dwindling numbers of the Bighorn sheep. Contributing factors to the decrease of Bighorns include hunting and contact with domestic sheep. The domestic sheep contributed the most in the decline due to a disease they carried and spread to the Bighorns. The author advocates for a refuge for the remaining Bighorns in order to remove any contact from domestic sheep in both the summer and winter seasons.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Restoring Oregon forests

Manuscript describing an article written by Cory Ford and Alastair MacBain. The main focus of this document is restoring our forests in order to provide the necessary habitats for the fish and wildlife. The practice of raising animals in hatcheries and releasing them back in to the wild for sport is pointless when the environment is polluted and kills the animals.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Californian interest in Oregon

Manuscript discussing the interest Californians were taking in Southern Oregon for recreation, especially in respects to angling in the Rogue, Umpqua, and Wilson rivers. The author points out that these are smaller streams and for the fishermen who depend on the rivers for their livelihood could be greatly affected by Californians' recreational fishing.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

Nothing a duck hunter likes better than ducks

Manuscript in which the author writes as if they are a disgruntled duck hunter. The character goes on to complain about how the laws from the federal and state governments have prevented hunters from being able to hunt as much as they please. The character goes on to lament about how the best shooting was during the winter because it was easier. The character longs for the good old days.

Finley, William L. (William Lovell), 1876-1953

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