Preservation of bird bones: erosion versus digestion by owls

Surface damage to bird bones from pellets of three species of owls (S. aluco, A. otus and B. bubo) was compared with that of bird bones exposed to weathering and soil corrosion (Záskogo Cave in the Western Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria and Ciemna Cave, southern Poland). Scanning electron microscopy and light microscope examinations indicate that the effects of weathering of bird bones (extensive pitting and flaking away on whole bones, holes with sharp edges, depressions with rough bottoms and sharp edges of breakage) are distinguishable from those of digestion (rounding of hole edges on articular ends and sometimes on shafts, rounding of breakage). However, soil corrosion may produce similar rounding to that of digestion, which may hamper taphonomic interpretations of fossil assemblages. Two stages of weathering in bird bone are distinguished. Generally, the kind of damage done to bird bones is similar to that done to mammalian remains. Taphonomic studies of fossil bird remains should take into account a combination of features, including surface damage, fragmentation and possible chemical alterations of bone tissues. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Representations of birds in Minoan art

During the second millennium BC , the Minoan civilization was established in the southern Aegean Sea. In Minoan art, especially on Crete, birds occupied a prominent place, and were often represented in wall-paintings and craft objects. Species still occurring on the island, such as cormorants, mallards, cuckoos, owls, hoopoes, and swallows, as well as exotic taxa such as partridges and possible domestic forms such as pigeons, were the subject of artistic inspiration, and they were depicted not only in purely cult contexts, but also in the backgrounds of naturalistic landscapes. The aim of this paper is to reconsider the identification of some of the birds depicted and to discuss them in the context of the environmental conditions and osteological finds from the southern Aegean islands in Minoan times. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The identification of extant european bird remains: a review of the literature

This paper reviews the literature on the identification of bird bones found in European sites. Such a review is useful both to Quaternary palaeontologists and to zooarchaeologists attempting to identify bird bones. The publications are considered systematically. We stress that the published works should not be used for identification in isolation, but that a comparative collection is essential. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A late Miocene–early Pliocene Mihirung bird (Aves: Dromornithidae) from Victoria,southeast Australia

Park, T. & Fitzgerald, E.M.G. September 2012. A late Miocene–early Pliocene Mihirung bird (Aves: Dromornithidae) from Victoria, southeast Australia. Alcheringa 36, 427–430. ISSN 0311-5518.

An incomplete tarsometatarsus identified as an indeterminate species of Dromornithidae is described from the upper Miocene–lower Pliocene shallow marine Black Rock Sandstone at Beaumaris, Victoria, Australia. This isolated specimen represents one of the few pre-Pleistocene dromornithids with a well-constrained geologic age. Additionally, it is one of the few pre-Quaternary dromornithid fossils recorded from southeast Australia. Comparisons with known dromornithid taxa suggest that the Beaumaris dromornithid is distinct from previously established species. This hitherto unknown species of dromornithid in the late Neogene of southeastern Australia cautions against deriving evolutionary patterns solely on the basis of fossils from northern Australia.     

珍秦斋藏秦铜器铭文选释

澳门萧春源珍秦斋藏秦有铭青铜器有簋、鼎、盘、盉、(?)、壶、权及多件兵器。其铭文涉及秦的政治、军事、历史、文化,极为重要。本文选取其中10件铜器铭文进行考释,认为:十四年口平匽氏戟作于秦惠文王后元十四年(前311年),器主即四川青川县出土木牍所见的“内史匽”,时任上郡守;二十一年相邦冉戈作于昭襄王二十一年(前286年);三十年诏事戈时代有昭襄王三十年(前277年)及始皇三十年(前217年)两种可能性,而以前者的可能性为大;三十二年相邦冉戈作于昭襄王三十二年(前275年),该戈内上套一件鸟柲冒(帽),应是赵惠文王二十三年(前276年)赵国器物,秦人缴获后继续使用,西安市文物保护考古研究所藏同铭乌柲冒原称鸠杖首,不确;元年上郡假守暨戈作于庄襄王元年(前249年),暨即与白起同时之秦名将王龁;口年相邦吕不韦戈作于秦王政元年至六年间;三件“少府”弋铭文, 则讨论秦宫庭机构少府的职能;咸阳壶铭文讨论了秦的度量衡制度、器物命名及编号习惯。     

A humerus story: Albatross element distribution from two northwest coast sites,North America

The distribution of the skeletal elements of albatross from the Maple Bank site is compared with those for ducks and gulls at that site and others on the northwest coast of America. The element distribution was very different between species and between sites. The proportions of albatross bones found suggest that there was a cultural reason for the elements present, probably the curation of wing bones for toolmaking and other uses. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sea bird fowling in southern Patagonia: a contribution to understanding the nomadic round of the Canoeros Indians

As well as providing data on meat yield, avian remains can be expected to give information on seasonality, an important parameter for understanding prehistoric hunting economies. An archaeological survey conducted in the Skyring Sea (Province of Magellan, Chile) between 1992 and 1994 provided bird bone assemblages that have been analysed with this aim in mind, of which 12 are discussed here. Cormorants and steamer ducks constitute 97 per cent of the specimens identified. The proportions of avian remains are compared with the mammals remains, and mostly show a predominance of the former. The status and seasonal distribution of animal resources are discussed in order to understand the motivation for such a specialization on bird hunting, when mammals (Artiodactyls and Pinnipeds) can bring a much higher yield of meat. This nomadic marine economy can best be understood when comparisons are made with other sites from the same cultural area. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Big fish and great auks: Exploitation of birds and fish on the Isle of Portland,Dorset, during the Romano-British period

Abstract

The paper considers the assemblage of bird and fish bones from a Romano-British settlement on the Isle of Portland, on the southern coast of England. Compared with contemporary sites, the assemblage includes an unusually large number of fish bones from a wide range of marine species, including large cod, other Gadidae, several species of seabream, scad and bass. The bird assemblage includes bones of a butchered great auk. This provides the first evidence that this extinct species was nesting off the shores of central southern England and being exploited for food in this period. Other seabirds identified included razorbill, great northern diver and gannet. The species represented are discussed in relation to other Romano-British sites, particularly the Roman town of Dorchester, situated 15 km away. Many of the species have been discovered on only a few contemporary sites and the presence of the seabream in particular indicates that seawater temperatures may have been warmer than until very recently. Possible cultural changes in diet and food procurement in the Roman period are also considered.     

宋徽宗墨笔花鸟画初探

一个画家艺术风格的形成离不开他所处的时代环境及其本人的气质。作者认为,宋徽宗墨笔花鸟画的渊源,一为五代兴起的以徐熙为代表的江南花鸟画派,一为宋代中叶兴起的文人士大夫画风。因此,宋徽宗以特有的文人情怀致力于其他文人画家所追求的江湖之思、林泉之趣,但又因其特定的帝王身份,其墨笔花鸟作品仍带有雍容的气貌而缺少荒远之境。值得注意的是,徽宗将文人情趣引入宫廷绘画,改变了宫廷绘画历来的富丽倾向,其墨花开元代之先河。