Zoology Commons^™

Lagurus Curtatus, Lynn E. Carroll, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Lagurus Gloger, 1841

Relationship Between Relative Brain Size And Climbing Ability In Peromyscus, Cliff A. Lemen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Eisenberg and Wilson (Evolution, 32:740-751, 1978) have documented an interesting relationship between the relative brain size of bats and the complexity of the habitat in which they forage. They found that bats that fly and forage through foliage have larger brains relative to their body size than those that forage in open air. Their explanation was that bats in the complex habitat must process more complex sonic information to navigate through the foliage. In order to do this a larger brain is required.

The Peromyscus of North America may offer a similar paradigm as far as habitat complexity …

1979 Treasurer's Report

Nebraska Bird Review

1979 Treasurer's Report

1 page

Book Reviews [March 1980], R. G. Cortelyou

Nebraska Bird Review

Reviews of three books: Birds of the Great Plains: Breeding Species and Their Distribution by Paul A. Johnsgard, Welcome the Birds to Your Home by Jane and Will Curtis, and Birding Areas of Iowa by Peter C. Peterson.

Notes- Nebraska Bird Review (March 1980)

Nebraska Bird Review

NOTES

WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. Two White-winged Scoters were taken in November 1979 at some pond in Sarpy Co. and taken to the Plattsmouth Refuge for identification.

- Ruth C. Green, 506 West 31st Avenue, Bellevue, 68005

AMERICAN WOODCOCK. Three American Woodcocks (Philohela minor) were taken as game along the Platte River on 11 October 1979. They were collected about 8:30 AM approximately 2 miles south and 2 miles west of Kearney, in Kearney Co. A specimen was examined by Dr. John C.W. Bliese, of Kearney State College, who encouraged the sending in of this report.

The writer has hunted these birds …

Correction To 1979 Spring Migration Report

Nebraska Bird Review

CORRECTION TO 1979 SPRING MIGRATION REPORT. The date for Orchard Oriole in Scottsbluff Co. should be 24 May, rather than March, and the following paragraph was omitted:

Sioux, Mitchell RFD, 12.3 species, David and Helen (reporter) Hughson.

The Nebraska Bird Review- Whole Issue March 1980 Volume 48 Number 1

Nebraska Bird Review

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Treasurer's Report ................2
1979 (Twenty-second) Fall Occurrence Report....................3
Correction to 1979 Spring Migration Report ...............15
1979 Christmas Count ..............................15
Observations of Late Fall Migratory Sandhill Cranes, Platte River, Nebraska ........20
Twenty-one Years of Say's Phoebes..........................21
A Ground Dove at DeSoto NWR ...........................22
Book Reviews ..........................22
Notes...............................23

1979 Christmas Count

Nebraska Bird Review

Ninety-nine species (four less than last year) were reported in the 1979 Christmas Count, and one species was reported present but not seen on the count. (There was no such species reported last year.) This drop was in spite of one more count - from Kearney - this year. The number of additional races reported - three - was the same as last year. The individual count this year was 188,102 compared to 90,000 last year, and most of the increase was due to the Snow Goose and Mallard counts along the Missouri River, which in turn was due to …

1979 (Twenty-Second) Fall Occurrence Report

Nebraska Bird Review

Two hundred eighty four species (plus a possible Black Rail) are listed in this report, from eleven localities. Comparable figures for prior years are: 269 species from twelve localities in 1978,267 from eleven in. 19-77, and 271 from eleven in 1976.

The information is presented in a rough west (left) to east (right) order, with locations of about the same longitude listed with the northernmost first (except for Washington Co.). Two dates indicate the first and last records for the period. The symbols used are:

JI, Au, Sp, Ot, No, and Dm for the months

Observations Of Late Fall Migratory Sandhill Cranes, Platte River, Nebraska, John G. Aronson

Nebraska Bird Review

Observations of migratory Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) were made on the Platte River near Kearney, Nebraska. On 26 November 1978, night roosting in the Platte River occurred on thin ice (less than 2 cm) in open areas which were protected by riparian vegetation from cold north winds (35-40 km/hr-NNW, -10°C). Roosting Cranes were spaced very closely (less than 0.5 m) during evening and early morning hours, with increased spacing (about 1.0 m) occurring during late morning. A diagram of the roost area was prepared. The roost was located near the northern river bank in a river stretch characterized …

Twenty-One Years Of Say's Phoebes, Doris Gates

Nebraska Bird Review

Mr. and Mrs. Carl Lindeken live 10.5 miles northeast of Chadron, Nebraska, in a home with a big picture window over the kitchen sink, a window that faces the Sheridan Gates, a formation which is in Sheridan County across the Dawes County line. Outside the window is a small platform on which Say's Phoebes have nested for many years.

The first year the Lindekens were aware of Say's Phoebes was in 1958 when a pair nested in the garage, a building which is attached to the house. The birds were "messy" but they were allowed to remain through the summer. …

Whole Issue Nebraska Bird Review (March 1980) 48(1)

Nebraska Bird Review

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Treasurer's Report .......................2

1979 (Twenty-second) Fall Occurrence Report .......................3

Correction to 1979 Spring Migration Report .......................15

1979 Christmas Count .......................15

Observations of Late Fall Migratory Sandhill Cranes, Platte River, Nebraska .......................20

Twenty-one Years of Say's Phoebes.......................21

A Ground Dove at DeSoto NWR .......................22

Book Reviews.......................22

Notes.......................23

A Ground Dove At Desoto Nwr, Loren Padelford, Babs Padelford

Nebraska Bird Review

A Ground Dove was sighted at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge on 18 November 1979, for about ten minutes around 11 AM, in the hedgerows opposite the entrance to the nature trail, south of the swimming beach.

It was a small dove, only slightly longer but chunkier than Tree Sparrows sitting in the same small tree. There was gray scalloping on the head and breast, the eye was dark, the beak light colored at the base, with the rest appearing dark. The wing was grayish with black speckling from shoulder to tip. We noticed a short tail when the bird was …

Notes On The Natural History Of Bats From Badlands National Monument, South Dakota, John P. Farney, J. Knox Jones Jr.

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Little has been published on the mammalian fauna of Badlands National Monument, a unique ecological area that encompasses parts of Jackson and Pennington counties in South Dakota. By way of example, although five species of bats are herein recorded from the Monument, only one has been reported previously - see Jones and Choate (1978), who listed two specimens of Myotis thysanodes pahasapensis from the Cliff Shelf area. Jones and Genoways (1976b), however, did report several other species from badland areas not far distant from the boundary of the Monument.

In 1970, under sponsorship of the Badlands Natural History Association and …

Nebraska Trapping, George Schildman, Frank Andelt, Jim Brunner

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Fur bearers and trapping played an important role in the exploration and development of Nebraska. The harvest of our fur-bearer resource is part of every Nebraskan's heritage. Wise use of the resource and consideration for other people's property and personal rights can insure that trapping will remain a part of the heritage of future generations. The purpose of this publication is to help insure this heritage ... through the educational process. Knowledge of and respect for the resource, as well as consideration for other people, are the keys to perpetuating trapping as an outdoor activity. While primarily designed to assist …

Analysis Of Sonagrams Of American Bison (Bison Bison), Harvey L. Gunderson, Brian R. Mahan

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The sound made by adult male American bison (Bison bison) during agonistic behavior has been described as a "roar" because of its similarity to the roar of an African lion (Shult, 1972). Bulls roar any time of the year, but more commonly and most intensively during the rut when there are many agonistic confrontations between competing males. McHugh (1958), Shult (1972), and Petersburg (1973) have described this roaring and under what circumstances it occurs.

While the bull is roaring, its tongue is protruded and the sound is produced by forceful expiration of air over the vocal cords. In …

Apparent Chromosomal Heterosis In A Fossorial Mammal, John C. Patton, Robert J. Baker, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

For the past decade, numerous investigators have attempted to explain the plethora of genetic polymorphism found in nature (see Ayala 1976). However, few researchers have been able to document how polymorphisms have been maintained, whether the polymorphisms were genic or chromosomal. Our investigations into the maintenance of a Robertsonian chromosomal polymorphism in the plains pocket goher, Geomys bursarius major, have revealed evidence that this polymorphism is maintained by differential viabilities of the three chromosomal morphs, with the heterozygote being favored.

Revised Checklist Of North American Mammals North Of Mexico, 1979, J. Knox Jones Jr., Dilford C. Carter, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Faunal checklists provide useful ready references for many kinds of endeavors, both in the laboratory and in the field, and are particularly helpful to students. Since publication more than four years ago of a "Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico" (Jones et al., 1975), demand for that list has exceeded the supply set aside for general distribution; additionally, systematic studies of mammals published since 1974 necessitate changes in the list. Primarily for these reasons, a newly revised checklist of mammalian species occurring in the Nearctic to the north of Mexico is here presented. As in this and …

Variation In Pappogeomys Castanops (Geomyidae) On The Llano Estacado Of Texas And New Mexico, Robert C. Dowler, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Nongeographic and geographic variation in the yellow-cheeked pocket gopher, Pappogeomys castanops, were analyzed in specimens collected in northwestern Texas and eastern New Mexico. Univariate and multivariate methods of analysis were utilized to assess variation in morphometric characters among 12 samples of P. castanops. Because of significant variation with age, only adult specimens were used in analyses. Adult males were significantly larger than females in all 13 characters studied. Our analyses of geographic variation reveal that those specimens previously assigned to the subspecies P. c. simulans are not sufficiently distinct to warrant subspecific designation.

Whole Issue Nebraska Bird Review (December 1979) 47(4)

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Great Gray Owl Distribution, Winter 1977-78 ....................................... 62

Book Reviews .................................................................. 65

Notes ......................................................................... 66

Index of Volume 47 ............................................................. 70

Records Of Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) From Suriname, Hugh H. Genoways, Stephen L. Williams

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Ten species are added to the 60 species of bats already known to occur in Suriname. The species added include Micronycteris minuta, M. nicefori, Phylloderma stenops, Tonatia bidens, T. brasiliense, Carollia brevicauda, Chiroderma trinitatum, Vampyressa bidens, Promops centralis, and P. nasutus. Additional information is presented on five species previously recorded from Suriname, including Pteronotus parnellii, Mimon crenulatum, Artibeus concolor, Chiroderma villosum, and Sturnira tildae.

Whole Issue Nebraska Bird Review (September 1979) 47(3)

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

1979 (Fifty-fourth) Spring Migration and Occurrence Report .......................... 42

The Seventy-eight Annual Meeting ................................................ 54

1979 Fall Field Day................................. 55

Book Reviews.............................................................. 56

Successful Golden Eagle Nest in Southwest Nebraska ............................... 57

Notes ......................................................................... 57

Distribution And Natural History Of Amphibians And Reptiles In Western Nebraska With Ecological Notes On The Herpetiles Of Arapaho Prairie, Royce E. Ballinger, John D. Lynch, Patrick H. Cole

Papers in Herpetology

Introduction: The distribution and natural history of amphibians and reptiles have been little studied in the northern states of the great plains. Relative to other vertebrate groups, the herpetofauna of grasslands is depauperate particularly at higher latitudes where temperature becomes a limiting factor to poikilotherms. Nevertheless, certain species of amphibians and reptiles are common in specific habitats and thus form a conspicuous component of the prairie fauna. The purposes of the present study were to document the distributions of herpetiles in a specified region of western Nebraska and to describe general aspects of their natural history. We hope such information …

Specialized Insectivory: Beetle-Eatinga Nd Moth-Eating Molossid Bats, Patricia W. Freeman

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The structure and mechanics of insectivores have been little studied. An effort is made here to compare and contrast jaw characteristics of insectivorous bats with those of herbivores and carnivores. Further, in one particular family of bats (Molossidae) jaw modifications are such that animals that take hard-shelled insect prey can be distinguished from those that take soft-shelled insect prey. Beetle-eaters generally have thick jaws, well-developed cranial crests, and fewer but bigger teeth, whereas moth-eaters have thin jaws, little crest build-up, and more but smaller teeth.

Whole Issue Nebraska Bird Review (June 1979) 47(2)

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

1978 (Twenty-first) Fall Occurrence Report ........................................ 22

Addition to 1978 Spring Migration Report .......................................... 33

1978 Christmas Count........................................................... 33

Some Comments on "The Breeding Birds of Nebraska”............................. 38

A Second Nesting Record for Merlins in Nebraska .................................. 39

Great Black-backed Gull near Omaha............................................. 39

A Study Of Nongeographic Variation In Tatera Leucogaster (Mammalia: Rodentia) From Botswana, Pierre Swanepoel, Duane A. Schlitter, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Specimens of Tatera leucogaster from six localities in Botswana were tested for variation with age, secondary sexual variation, and individual variation. Of the six age classes recognized, categories I, II, and III each formed their own group, whereas cat egories IV, V, and VI were not separable on a morphometric basis and were considered to be adults. Significant secondary sexual variation was found only in depth of braincase in which females were larger. The only character exhibiting unusually high individual variation was length of posterior palatal foramen. All other characters exhibited individual variation within acceptable limits.

A Systematic Review Of The Olive-Backed Pocket Mouse, Perognathus Fasciatus (Rodentia, Heteromyidae), Daniel F. Williams, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Geographic variation in Perognathus fasciatus Wied and the identities of specimens of P. fasciatus and P. flavescens from areas of potential sympatry were investigated. Populations of P. fasciatus from the northern Great Plains, in areas with the highest amounts of precipitation, were the darkest colored and had proportionately the smallest auditory bullae. Size varied clinally in the Great Plains, with larger mice being found in the cooler, northern latitudes. Populations from the arid intermountain basins of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming were largest in size, had the longest tails, were the palest in color, and had the largest bullae. Two races …

Whole Issue Nebraska Bird Review (March 1979) 47(1)

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

1978 Treasurer's Report ........................................ 2

The Breeding Birds of Nebraska. ...........................................3

Book Reviews .............................................................. 17, 19

Notes ..................................................................... 17, 19

Redescription And Comparison Of A Highly Fossorial Mole, Domninoides Mimicus (Insectivora, Talpidae), From The Clarendonian, Patricia W. Freeman

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The holotype of the species, Domninoides mimicus, is based on one tooth. Described in the present report is material containing a practically complete dentition and many postcranial elements which definitely belong with the teeth. This species is closely related to Domninoides valentinensis described by Reed (1962), but some of the antemolars in valentinensis are misidentified. The tooth formulas for valentinensis and for mimicus are given. Development of the cingula on the upper and lower molars in mimicus is conspicuous. Because of similar features in the postcranial bones, the Clarendonian mole may be as fossorial as Scalopus, probably the …

Niobrara-Missouri River Fishery Investigations, Larry W. Hesse, Gene Zeurlein, Roger Vancil, Leonard Koziol, Brad Newcomb, Leigh Ann Retelsdorf

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

The Niobrara River heads in the table lands of eastern Wyoming and flows 786 kilometers (km) eastward across Nebraska joining the Missouri River near the town of Niobrara, Nebraska. The Niobrara is the largest Missouri River tributary between the last two mainstem impoundments (Lake Francis Case and Lewis and Clark Lake). Fish movement up the Niobrara is prevented by Nebraska Public Power District's (NPPD's) Spencer Hydroelectric Dam, 63.3 km upstream from the river mouth. The lower reach of the river is turbid and carries a considerable load of sand, silt, and organic debris into the Missouri River. The mean annual …