Compiled & Written
by
Robert Roy van de Hoek
March 21, 2001
Spring Equinox
Malibu, California
The following web page focuses on the very fine book by George MacGinitie and Nettie MacGinitie entitled NATURAL HISTORY OF MARINE ANIMALS. Their headquarters were at the Kerckhoff Marine Lab, at one of the last natural remaining estuaries and coastal wetlands in southern California: Newport Bay. Kerckhoff Marine Lab is located in Corona del Mar, as it is today. From this location, they studies the ocean and estuaries and wetlands up and down the Pacific Coast. Although marine invertebrates are their focus, you notice from time to time, a discussion of seabirds, shorebirds, watefowl, wading birds, and marine mammals. The passage on the Black-crowned Night Heron that they raised is interesting to take note of near the end of the book. Look for this passage also under the web pages on Herons. They were scientists, but in my opinion, they were first and foremost, edcators and marine naturalists.
The web page was created and compiled to guide the curious individual into the realm of "knowledge is power" and "breaking through." There is something to be said for just plain pure education, knowledge, and curiosity to know
about natural landscapes from the perspective of WILD NATURE. That kind of knowledge is in all of the writings of George MacGinitie. Presented below are some excerpts from MacGinities's Book:
To
Those People who, after watching the activities
Of some of our marine animals, have said,
"You ought to write all this down"
Chapter 31
THE RELATION OF HIGHER VERTEBRATES TO SHORE CONDITIONS
Although no amphibia actually live in the ocean, toad tadpoles have been found developing in salt water in the Phillipines. Some toads that live near the beach make nightly excursions to include the above-tide population and feed on sand hoppers and even on tiny crabs that hide under old seaweed or bury in the sand during the day.
.....
Birds are the most important vertebrate shore animals .... The only night-fishing bird of the mud flats that we know is the green night heron, or Black-crowned Night Heron. It has been our companion many nights as we studied the nocturnal habits of mud-flat animals, but darkness prevented our seeing much of its activities. We could hear its splashing and squawking, and occasionally one would go by overhead and we could hear the soft swishing of its wings. In their rookeries (pine trees) they seemed most noisy just before daylight. We raised a young night heron that had fallen out of a nest, but it never became tame. We had to force feed it at first by pushing sardines down its throat, but even when it ate them without force it would swallow a fish rapidly, at the same time trying to squawk. It acted as though it wanted to swallow the fish quickly so as to be able to peck the hand that fed it.
BOOKS DEALING WITH MARINE ANIMALS
Ricketts, Edward F....1948.Between Pacific Tides... Deals with animals of the Pacific Coast according to habitat. Give nontechnical descriptions and habitats of about 500 animals. A good bibliography arranged according to phyla, classes, and orders is included.
