Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit Research Articles

Ruffed Grouse Populations in Minnesota in Relation to Blood and Intestinal Parasitism

1. A total of 127 ducks that had been caught in muskrat traps were received at the Maine Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit from 1938 to 1947. These consisted of 43 per cent black ducks, 27 per cent wood ducks, 12 per cent greenwinged teal, 9 per cent ring-necked ducks, and 8 per cent hooded mergansers; other species were of little significance. The sex ratio of all species was 105 males:100 females. Wood ducks were predominately males while the ring-necked ducks and hooded mergansers were largely females; other species were more equally divided as to

Mountain Goat Age Ratios in Montana

Journal Article Mountain Goat Age Ratios in Montana Get access George A. Petrides George A. Petrides Ohio Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Ohio State University, Columbus 10, Ohio Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 29, Issue 2, May 1948, Page 185, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/29.2.185 Published: 01 May 1948 Article history Received: 09 October 1947 Published: 01 May 1948

Jack Rabbits Experience a Population "High" in the Trans-Pecos Region, Texas

Journal Article Jack Rabbits Experience a Population “High” in the Trans-Pecos Region, Texas Get access Walter P. Taylor Walter P. Taylor Texas Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, College Station, Texas Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 29, Issue 2, May 1948, Pages 186–187, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/29.2.186-a Published: 01 May 1948 Article history Received: 12 August 1947 Published: 01 May 1948

Body Temperature Data for the Cottontail Rabbit

Journal Article Body Temperature Data for the Cottontail Rabbit Get access George A. Petrides George A. Petrides Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 28, Issue 4, 26 November 1947, Pages 400–401, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/28.4.400 Published: 26 November 1947

A Semi-Quantitative Study of Muskrat Food Habits

rat carrying capacity of the area. While the data so obtained are informative, they can be applied only in a limited way to the activities of the animals in the wild. The present study was made of the food habits of the muskrat, Ondatra z. zibethica, on a marsh area in central Maine during 1941. This investigation was one phase of a series of studies dealing with the basic ecological relationships of the species in this region. The work had three primary objectives: (1) to inventory the various plant forms available in the area, (2) to determine the relative quantities eaten by the muskrats, and (3) to ascertain whether any food selection was demonstrated by these mammals. The field work was conducted on a portion of the marsh area located near the town of Corinna, Penobscot County, which has been described in a previous paper (Takos, 1943). All the specific names of plants follow Fassett (1940). The frequency method of Raunkiaer, as modified by Kenoyer (1927), has been used for the expression of the quantitative data. All calculations have been rounded off to two decimal places, i.e., to the nearest whole percentile. The terms frequency index and frequency percentage have been used interchangeably; the index being the decimal expression of a per cent. Use has been made of terminology devised by Hess and Swartz (1941) for a similar investigation of the food habits of the black-nosed dace (Rhinichthys a. atratulus). The enumeration techniques employed during this study present a semi-quantitative method which may be of interest to other investigators. 1 Contribution from the Maine Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Orono, Maine; Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Game, University of Maine, Wildlife Management Institute, and U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, cooperating. F. H. Steinmetz and E. C. Ogden, Botany Department, University of Maine, aided in the identification of the plant materials. The writer is indebted to John Pearce and Howard Mendall for suggestions during the study and in preparing the manuscript.

Spermophiles and Badgers Move Eastward in Ohio

Journal Article Spermophiles and Badgers Move Eastward in Ohio Get access Daniel L. Leedy Daniel L. Leedy Ohio Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Ohio State University, Columbus 10, Ohio Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 28, Issue 3, 19 August 1947, Pages 290–292, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/28.3.290 Published: 19 August 1947

Edward A. Goldman

Journal Article Edward A. Goldman Get access Walter P. Taylor Walter P. Taylor Texas Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, College Station. Texas Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 28, Issue 2, 19 May 1947, Page 114, https://doi.org/10.2307/1375451 Published: 19 May 1947

Birds of Kerr County, Texas

HELMUT K. BUECHNER Texas Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit and Department of Fish and Game, Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, College Station, Texas. Kerr County appears to be on a dividing line between many eastern and western forms of bird life. It is situated on the Edwards Plateau, which is the southern termination of the Great Plains in central Texas. Approaching from the east, the Edwards Plateau is the abrupt rise in elevation encountered. The rise extends north through central Texas as the so-called first plateau. The change occurs at the Balcones Escarpment, a Cretaceous fault line that extends roughly from Dallas through Waco and Austin to San Antonio, and then westward to Del Rio. Elevations within Kerr County range from 1,000 to 2,300 feet. The topography varies from the level alluvial lands along the Guadalupe River to the hilly lands in the uplands. Drainage is principally by the Guadalupe River and its tributaries, although the Frio, Sabinal, Medina, and South Llano rivers also have their headwaters in the county. The deep alluvial soils of the Guadalupe Valley are utilized for cultivation; the thin limestone soils of the uplands for livestock grazing. River bottoms support heavy stands of cypress, water oak, hackberry, pecan, and walnut; whereas the dry uplands are covered by oak-savannah pastures, cedar brakes, and dense thickets of shinnery oak. The present bird list is based primarily upon specimens in the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, and the following collections as indicated in the United States Fish and Wildlife Service records: Bio-

Adaptability of the Chukar Partridge to Missouri Conditions

The chukar partridge (Alectoris graeca chukar) was introduced into Missouri in 1934 when the Windsor Game Farm, operated by the Game and Fish Department, purchased two pairs and an extra cock from a California breeder. There then was considerable interest in chukars in Missouri, and the Department planned to raise enough for an extensive stocking program. When the new Conservation Commission was established in 1937, there were approximately 1,000 chukars on hand, all descendants of the original pairs. Their disposal was referred to the newlyestablished Missouri Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit. Ordinarily neither the Commission nor the Research Unit would have been interested in such a problem, but the birds offered an opportunity to study experimental releases and the establishment of the species, should the latter occur. With the cooperation of associated departments in the University of Missouri, a study was planned of the life history, ecology, diseases, hatchery techniques, management, and adaptability of the species. The writer made the field investigations, with general assistance from Dr. Rudolf Bennitt of the University of Missouri and Dr. Paul D. Dalke of the U. S. Bureau of Biological Survey. The study began in September 1937. There were several initial justifications for the work: the available birds represented a considerable investment; they had received a good deal of publicity and sportsmen were interested; elimination of the ruffed grouse, prairie chicken, and wild turkey from most of their former ranges had left vacant niches which might possibly be filled by the exotic species; and there was an excellent opportunity to study the factors determining the success or failure of an apparently desirable exotic game bird, propagated artificially and released on Missouri range. Finally, if the birds were to be used, there was need to establish them under a system that would permit control if they became undesirable. The detailed life-history study was brief because the birds released in 1937 and 1938 tended to wander in widelyscattered groups. This was disadvantageous in two ways: They refused to settle down, so their range preferences could not be learned, and in no place were they sufficiently numerous to provide adequate data. By the end of the first year, one possible justification for their introduction had largely disappeared. With recovery from the 1934-36 drought and the use of changed farming practices, prairie chickens and bobwhite quail increased to where the latter were abundant on almost every type of range and the I Contribution from Missouri Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, American Wildlife Institute, Missouri Conservation Commission, and University of Missouri cooperating.

Sex and Age Ratios among Bobwhite Quail in Southern Missouri

Howell County sample. From 1939 through 1943 the sexes and ages of 1,633 bobwhites bagged in Howell and adjoining counties were recorded. Sex was determined by the characteristic dimorphism of the head plumage. Young of the year (immatures) were differentiated from adults by the presence of the juvenal greater upper primary coverts and two distal juvenal primaries (A. S. Leopold, 1939). Determination of sex and age by these characteristics of the plumage probably is accurate within one per cent. The sample (Table 1) constituted the total bag of all hunting parties attended by the author, supplemented in 194143 by add tional birds killed by seven other hunters; most of these birds were kille w thin 20 miles of West Plains, Howell County. The cooperating sportsmen, selected for reliability and interest in the investigation, preserved separately the wings of cocks and hens. The age of each bird was determined later by the presence or absence of juvenal feathers in the wing. State-wide sample. In addition, statewide samples of the sex composition of the bobwhite population, and smaller samples of the age composition, were obtained in 1942 and 1943 from hunter kill-records (Table 2). Cooperating sportsmen throughout the state submitted tallies of their daily bags to the M s ouri Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit; these aggregated 20,179 and 23,640 birds, respectively, in the two seasons. Cocks and hens were listed separately. These records furnish a

The Hoary Bat in Maine

The Hoary Bat in Maine Get access Chas. P. Brown Chas. P. Brown Maine Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Orono, Maine Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 25, Issue 3, 8 September 1944, Pages 310–311, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/25.3.310a Published: 08 September 1944

Ecologic Niches Occupied by Rabbits in Eastern Texas

EcologyVolume 25, Issue 1 p. 120-121 Note and Comment Ecologic Niches Occupied by Rabbits in Eastern Texas Walter P. Taylor, Walter P. Taylor Texas Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit College Station, Texas.Search for more papers by this authorDaniel W. Lay, Daniel W. Lay Texas Game, Fish and Oyster Commission, Austin, Texas. Texas Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, College Station, Texas.Search for more papers by this author Walter P. Taylor, Walter P. Taylor Texas Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit College Station, Texas.Search for more papers by this authorDaniel W. Lay, Daniel W. Lay Texas Game, Fish and Oyster Commission, Austin, Texas. Texas Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, College Station, Texas.Search for more papers by this author First published: 01 January 1944 https://doi.org/10.2307/1930770Citations: 1AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume25, Issue1January 1944Pages 120-121 RelatedInformation

A Malformation in Deer

A Malformation in Deer H. L. Van Volkenberg, H. L. Van Volkenberg Dept. Veterinary Parasitology Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar W. P. Taylor W. P. Taylor Texas Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, College Station, Texas Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 24, Issue 2, 8 June 1943, Pages 265–266, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/24.2.265 Published: 08 June 1943

Summer Activities of Bats (Genus Lasiurus) in Iowa

Summer Activities of Bats (Genus Lasiubus) in Iowa Get access H. Elliott McClure H. Elliott McClure Iowa, Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Ames, Iowa Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 23, Issue 4, 14 November 1942, Pages 430–434, https://doi.org/10.2307/1375055 Published: 14 November 1942

Food Habits of the Badger in Iowa

Food Habits of the Badger in Iowa Get access Edwin Snead, Edwin Snead Iowa Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Ames, Iowa Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar George O. Hendpjckson George O. Hendpjckson Iowa Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Ames, Iowa Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 23, Issue 4, 14 November 1942, Pages 380–391, https://doi.org/10.2307/1375048 Published: 14 November 1942

A Surface Nest and the Young of Sigmodon in Texas

Journal Article A Surface Nest and the Young of Sigmodon in Texas Get access Arthur F. Halloran Arthur F. Halloran Texas Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, College Station, Texas Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 23, Issue 1, 14 February 1942, Page 91, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/23.1.91 Published: 14 February 1942

Nesting of the Ruddy Duck in Iowa

THE Ruddy Duck (Erismatura jamaicensis rubida), though often elusive and secretive to the hunter and of late years relatively scarce in hunting bags, affords a great deal of pleasure to the Nature lover who seeks the bird in its native haunts. Aside from its esthetic value, a knowledge of the Ruddy Duck's habits during the critical period of reproduction is essential to the conservationist who would wisely perpetuate and increase this game bird. The nesting habits and habitat requirements of the Ruddy Duck were investigated as part of the waterfowl-research program of the Iowa Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit. The results of the research conducted in northwestern Iowa during the 1938, 1939 and 1940 seasons are here presented. Acknowledgments are made to Dr. George 0. Hendrickson, Zoology Department, Iowa State College, and to Mr. Thomas G. Scott, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for suggestions and supervision of this work. An area with an abundance of natural lakes and marshes extending from two to three miles on either side of the Clay and Palo Alto County line was chosen for intensive observations. Within a radius of five miles of the city of Ruthven lie six lakes and numerous marshes constituting the largest single remnant of duck-breeding habitat in Iowa. The lakes, in common with other lakes scattered throughout northern Iowa, are the result of the relatively late Wisconsin glaciation which extended from the north-central part of the State as far south as Des Moines. Glacial debris in the form of morainic hills surrounds the lakes in the southern part but gives way to a high rolling plain in the northern part of the area. Approximately 53 square miles were included although only the 6000 acres of lakes, marshes and sloughs were of particular interest. Lost Island Lake, the largest lake of the group, has a surface area of 1260 acres, while marshy spots as small as a quarter acre are numerous.

Systematic Status of Dipodomys Merriami Ambiguus Merriam

Systematic Status of Dipodomys merriami ambiguus Merriam Get access William B. Davis William B. Davis Texas Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, College Station, Texas Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 22, Issue 2, 14 May 1941, Pages 192–194, https://doi.org/10.2307/1374917 Published: 14 May 1941

Hatchability of Pheasant Eggs in Relation to Some Known Temperatures

cause of infertility and unknown causes. In 1933 an attempt was made to determine what effect certain temperatures had upon fertile eggs. In order to test the influence of extreme temperatures on the hatchability of pheasant eggs, a setting of 26 freshlaid eggs was obtained from the State Game Farm and placed in the fieldlaboratory weather shelter, which housed a hygrothermograph and a maximumand-minimum thermometer. The eggs were held in the shelter from April 13 until May 4, a period corresponding to a part of the egg-laying period in nature. The eggs and instruments were 4 feet from the ground and were exposed to great variation in weather conditions. During this period a record of the relative humidity and temperature was kept for all hours of the day and night. During the 21 days in which the eggs were in the shelter, freezing temperatures were recorded seven times. The lowest temperature was 210F., which occurred twice; 230F. occurred once for a 5-hour period. The maximum temperature was 760F. The relative humidity varied from 14 to 97 per cent. The eggs were removed from the shelter on May 4 and incubated under a domestic hen. Only 14 of the 26 eggs proved fertile, but 13 of these 14 hatched on May 27. This test showed that pheasant eggs can undergo fairly low temperatures prior to incubation without their hatchability being affected to any great extent. To test the matter further on a more extended scale, 500 eggs (1 day's laying) were obtained from the State Game Farm on May 6. Fifty eggs were kept in storage as a criterion, at temperatures varying from 450F. to 680F. I Paper No. 19 from the Pennsylvania Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Fish and Wildlife Service (U. S. Department of The Interior), The Pennsylvania State College, Pennsylvania Game Commission, and the American Wildlife Institute cooperating. Authorized for publication on Aug. 6, 1940 as Paper No. 983 in the journal series of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station. 2 The Williamston Game Management Project was a cooperative undertaking under the supervision of H. M. Wight, School of Forestry and Conservation, University of Michigan. The Izaak Walton League of America, Department of Agriculture, the U. S. Biological Survey, Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute, American Game Association, State College, University of Michigan, Williamston Progressive Hunting Club, and Department of Conservation aided. Particular credit goes to Harry F. Harper for his whole-hearted moral and substantial financial backing. The data presented in this paper are taken from the unpublished doctoral thesis entitled Causes of Pheasant Mortality in Michigan by P. F. English, University of Michigan, 1933.

Production of Pheasants in North-Central Iowa in 1939

Since its inception in the autumn of 1935, the research program of the Iowa Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit has included life history and management studies of the ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus torquatus) on the Winnebago Experimental Area. During the first three years emphasis was placed on study of winter survival and cover development (Green and Beed, 1936; Green, 1938, and unpublished reports), but in 1939 special attention was directed to the reproductive phase of the pheasant's life cycle. Here are reported data gathered on the Winnebago Area, in north-central Iowa, from March until September, 1939. The research was under Dr. George O. Hendrickson, Iowa State College, and Thomas G. Scott, United States Bureau of Biological Survey.