Fossil Birds

Los Angeles County Museum Of Science, 1945. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Soft cover. Near Fine. 40 Pp. Green Card Covers Citing Publication Date May 1945. First Edition, First Printing. Hildegarde Howard (1901 -1998) Was An American Pioneer In Paleornithology. She Was Mentored By The Famous Ornithologist, Joseph Grinnell, At The Museum Of Vertebrate Zoology (Mvz) And In Avian Paleontology. She Was Well Known For Her Discoveries In The La Brea Tar Pits, Among Them The Rancho La Brea Eagles. She Discovered And Described Pleistocene Flightless Waterfowl At The Prehistoric Ballona Wetlands Of Coastal Los Angeles County At Playa Del Rey. In 1953, Howard Became The Third Woman To Be Awarded The Brewster Medal. She Was The First Woman President Of The Southern California Academy Of Sciences. She Wrote 150 Papers Throughout Her Career. Her First Biology Teacher, Pirie Davidson, Inspired Her To Change Her Concentration From Journalism To Biology; Davidson Helped Her Get A Job Working For The Paleontologist Chester Stock. She Completed Her Bachelor's Degree At U.C. Berkeley In 1924, Where She Took Courses In Paleontology. That Same Year, Howard Joined The Scientific Staff Of The Los Angeles County Museum Of Natural History Part-Time; Her Work There On The Extinct Turkey Parapavo Californicus Was Credited Towards Her Master's Degree, Which Was Received In 1926 At Berkeley. She Would Earn Her Ph.D. At The Same University In 1928 With A Dissertation On The Fossil Birds Of The Emeryville Shellmound. In 1929 Howard Returned To The Los Angeles County Museum Of Natural History And She Held A Permanent Position There As A Curator. However, She Was Not Officially Given The Title Of A Curator Until 1938. Her Initial Title Was Junior Clerk And Howard's Job Was Researching Fossils From The Rancho La Brea As Well As Curating Them. Named Chief Curator Of Science In 1951, She Retired In 1961, But Continued To Conduct Research And To Publish On Avian Evolution. While At The Museum And In Retirement, Howard Described Three Families, 13 Genera, 57 Species, And 2 Subspecies. In 1977 The Los Angeles Museum Of History Decided To Honor Hildegarde Howard In The Cenozoic Life Hall. Howard Married Henry Anson Wylde In 1930. Wylde, Who Would Become Chief Of Exhibits At The Los Angeles County Museum Of Natural History, Died In 1984.