bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
IV.—The Succession of the Crags
Authors: Bell Alfred
Published: May 2009

All geologists, especially those who, like myself, are interested in the study of the Upper Tertiaries, are indebted to Mr. Prestwich for the valuable memoir upon “The Structure of the Cragbeds of Suffolk and Norfolk.” As the views propounded therein are somewhat novel, I purpose examining some of the points brought forward in their support.
III.—Note on the Results of some Recent Researches among the Graptolitic Black Shales of the South of Scotland
Authors: Lapworth Charles
Published: May 2009

In his excellent paper on New Scottish Graptolites, published in the last monthly part of the GeologicalMagazine, Mr. John Hopkinson incidentally refers to the various opinions that have been held by different geologists concerning the thickness and geological age of the carbonaceous Graptolite-bearing shales of South Scotland. He expresses his conviction, derived from a study of the fossils they afford, that there is but “a single band of Graptolite shale, which runs through the Llandeilo beds of South Scotland, there being in this band several distinct zones, each marked by a different assemblage of fossils, but with many species in common.”
III.—The Coal Area of the United States of America
Authors: Hitchcock C. H. , Hanover N. H.
Published: May 2009

In compiling for the Census Bureau of the United States a small geological map, I had occasion to determine the precise areas occupied by workable beds of Carboniferous Coal. As the sum total is different from that recently stated in the GeologicalMagazine, I have thought a correction desirable; and present a few statements, based upon original authorities, the best within my reach.
V.—On some Points connected with late Glacial Action and Raised Sea-beds
Authors: Fisher O.
Published: May 2009

My thanks are due to Mr. Tiddeman, for his reply to the letter from me, which appeared in your February Number. I may perhaps be allowed to add a few words more upon the subjects under discussion.
II.—Tertiary and Palæozoic Trap-rocks
Authors: Allport S.
Published: May 2009

Many Geologists will hail with satisfaction the accession of Prof. Hull to the ranks of the few who appreciate the importance of a microscopic examination of rocks; and the communication from him which appeared in the last Number of the GeologicalMagazine is the more welcome, as it contains a promise of further researches in the same direction.
III.—On the Sarsen Stones of Berkshire and Wilts
Authors: Adams John
Published: May 2009

Every one who has traversed our Chalk Downs must have noticed here and there shapeless masses of grey stones, half buried in the turf. Sometimes they are found in groups, like the shattered ruins of some ancient temple, and at other times they occur in isolated blocks, as though giant hands had hurled them at random over the hills in wanton sport. At one place, near the village of Kennet, they assume the appearance of a multitudinous flock of sheep, and are known by the appropriate designation of “Grey Wethers,” whilst at other places in the same vicinity they bristle on the hill-sides, and trail along the valleys like the débris of an avalanche or the moraine of a glacier. Nowhere do they exist in such profusion as on the west of Marlborough, but they are found scattered over the whole Chalk area of this district. At the western end of it they consist chiefly of saccharoid sandstone. Further east, especially around Newbury, they become smaller, harder, and more crystalline; whilst in the neighbourhood of Great Bedwyn, and occasionally elsewhere, they take the form of pudding-stone, being agglomerations of flint pebbles, cemented together in a matrix of siliceous sand.
IV.—Further Notes on Crinoidea
Authors: Rofe John
Published: May 2009

During several years I have had frequent opportunities, in my spare time, of collecting and studying the Crinoidea, particularly those of the Carboniferous formation; bat I have not had time, nor do I feel competent, to treat this subject fully in all its bearings. Perhaps, however, a few further notes on what I have observed in connexion with them, and in their relations with the recent as well as with those found in the several geological formations, may have an interest for some of your readers, or may be suggestive of further examination by some one better qualified, by physiological knowledge, for the inquiry.
V.—On the Formation of Swallow-holes, or Pits with vertical Sides, in Mountain-limestone
Authors: Miall L. C.
Published: May 2009

The geologist who rambles through the Mountain-limestone district of Yorkshire is sure to have his attention arrested by the numerous “swallow-holes,” or pits, in the rock, into which rills, streams, or even rivers precipitate themselves; and if he can bring his mind to consider the subject sufficiently, without dismissing it at once by a reference to some vague natural force, he will come to perceive the somewhat complex conditions which a complete explanation must satisfy.
I.—On the Occurrence of Elephant-remains in Ireland
Authors: Harkness Robert
Published: May 2009

The earliest discovery of Elephant-remains in the British Isles appears to have been made in Ireland, and is recorded in the xxixth volume of the Philosophical Transactions.
VI.—Note on the Middle Drift-beds in Cheshire
Authors: Taylor J. E.
Published: May 2009

The valuable paper by Professor Harkness on the Middle Drift deposits of Great Britain does not include a notice of their occurrence in Cheshire. About six years ago, a paper of mine on this subject was published in the Reports of the Geological Society of Manchester. I revert to it again, inasmuch as the only locality little dwelt on by Professor Harkness bears out so thoroughly the chief peculiarity about the beds in question.
VI.—Earthquakes
Authors: Malet H. P.
Published: May 2009

There have been several Earthquakes lately, and they are still attributed to volcanic action. As the Quarterly Review of 1st January, 1869, tells us, the most popular notion regarding these phenomena “is the hypothesis of contraction of the mass of this globe by radiation of heat into space.” If we examine this sentence by geological reasoning, confining ourselves to those things, and actions, which are visible, and tangible, we find two causes of objection to it. We ask, whence is the heat to radiate into space? and where is the mass capable of contraction? There are certain laws which rule atoms, and worlds; we have only to understand these laws, and their effects, to enable us to comprehend every phenomena upon earth; man has not been able to do this, but has sought interpretations from his own imagination, till he has been led into innumerable difficulties.
II.—On a Fossil Butterfly belonging to the Family Nymphalidæ, from the Stonesfield Slate near Oxford, with Notices of Two other Foreign Forms from France and Croatia
Authors: Butler Arthur G.
Published: May 2009

Genus Palæontina, Butler (fossil). Frontwing ovate triangular; costal nervure much swollen at base; subcostal four-branched, the first two branches emitted about half-way between discoidal cell and apex; the third emitted abnormally just beyond the cell, and therefore springing from beneath the nervure; the fourth emitted in a still more unusual manner from the third; so that the third and fourth branches might be described as springing together from a footstalk emitted from beneath the subcostal; discocellular and discoidal nervures precisely as in Caligo; median branches nearer together than in Caligo; submedian nervure following the same direction as the median nervures, but even more distinctly inarched, so that the internal area is considerably widened: hindwing and body wanting. Type Palæontina oolitica.
II. On some Crustacean Teeth from the Carboniferous and Upper Ludlow Rocks of Scotland
Authors: Woodward Henry
Published: May 2009

I have lately received, from Mr. James Armstrong of Glasgow, some very beautiful examples of the detached teeth of Dithyrocaris from Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire, and also specimens of Ceratiocaris from Lesmahagow (the latter collected by Mr. J. Slimon); and they seem to possess so much interest, that a description of them will doubtless be welcome.
RITUALS OF ROYALTY AND THE ELABORATION OF CEREMONY IN OMAN: VIEW FROM THE EDGE
Authors: Chatty Dawn
Published: May 2009

This article explores the creation and elaboration of certain ceremonials and court rituals in the Sultanate of Oman after the accession of Sultan Qaboos in 1970. It investigates the relationship between the development of these ceremonials and the perception of leadership and authority in the person of the sultan, as well as the development of a sentiment of common nationality. Its ethnographic underpinning is the most remote and marginal of Oman's people, the nomadic pastoral Harasiis tribe of central Oman. Whereas the creation of royal rituals was important for building a sense of national belonging even among this most cut off and distant of communities, these same ceremonies and created traditions developed lives of their own. Over time these rituals ossified sultanic courtly behavior, contributing little to the organic sense of Omani citizenship and eventually disillusioning some marginal groups.
Theory of surface deposition from boundary layers containing condensable vapour and particles
Authors: NEU J. C. , CARPIO A. , BONILLA L. L.
Published: May 2009

Heterogeneous condensation of vapours mixed with a carrier gas in the stagnation point boundary layer flow near a cold wall is considered in the presence of solid particles much larger than the mean free path of vapour particles. The supersaturated vapour condenses on the particles by diffusion, and particles and droplets are thermophoretically attracted to the wall. Assuming that the heat of vaporization is much larger than kB∞, where ∞ is the temperature far from the wall, vapour condensation occurs in a condensation layer (CL). The CL width and characteristics depend on the parameters of the problem, and a parameter R yielding the rate of vapour scavenging by solid particles is particularly important. Assuming that the CL is so narrow that temperature, particle density and velocity do not change appreciably inside it, an asymptotic theory is found, the δ-CL theory, that approximates very well the vapour and droplet profiles, the dew point shift and the deposition rates at the wall for wide ranges of the wall temperature w and the scavenging parameter R. This theory breaks down for w very close to the maximum temperature yielding non-zero droplet deposition rate, w, M. If the width of the CL is assumed to be zero (0-CL theory), the vapour density reaches local equilibrium with the condensate immediately after it enters the dew surface. The 0-CL theory yields appropriate profiles and deposition rates in the limit as R → ∞ and also for any R, provided w is very close to w, M. Nonlinear multiple scales also improve the 0-CL theory, providing good uniform approximations to the deposition rates and the profiles for large R or for moderate R and w very close to w, M, but it breaks down for other values of w and small R.
A posteriori subgrid-scale model tests based on the conditional means of subgrid-scale stress and its production rate
Authors: CHEN QINGLIN , OTTE MARTIN J. , SULLIVAN PETER P. , TONG CHENNING
Published: May 2009

Traditional a posteriori tests of subgrid-scale (SGS) models often compare large eddy simulation (LES) profiles of various statistics with measurements. In this study we propose and employ a new a posteriori test to study SGS model performance. We compare the conditional means of the LES-generated SGS stress and stress production rate conditional on the resolvable-scale velocity with measurements. These statistics must be reproduced by the SGS model for LES to correctly predict the one-point resolvable-scale velocity joint probability density function. Our tests using data obtained in convective atmospheric boundary layers show that the a posteriori results are consistent with our a priori tests based on the same conditional statistics. The strengths and deficiencies of the models observed here were also identified in our a priori tests. The remarkable consistency between the two types of tests suggests that statistical model tests based on the conditional SGS stress and its production rate are a highly capable approach for identifying specific model deficiencies and for evaluating SGS model performance in simulations.
On the thermocapillary motion of partially engulfed compound drops
Authors: ROSENFELD L. , LAVRENTEVA O. M. , NIR A.
Published: May 2009

In this work the thermocapillary-induced motion of partially engulfed compound drops is considered. This phenomenon occurs in many natural and technological processes in which heat is exchanged between such hybrid drops and the medium around them through the interfaces. Two types of thermal fields and the resulting motions are studied; flow induced by an external temperature gradient and spontaneous thermocapillary motion. For the first flow type, it was found that, in general, the motion is induced in the direction of the temperature gradient. However, under certain physical conditions and drops' configuration a motion against the temperature gradient may be observed. In the second case, spontaneous thermocapillary motion, the compound drop moves due to surface tension gradients which result from the geometric non-uniformity of the system. Results are presented for several parameters such as configuration of the compound drop, viscosity, thermal conductivity ratio, the dependence of the various interfacial tensions on temperature and the volume ratio of the phases within the drop.
Skin incisions for the excision of spherical cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions
Authors: Ranganathan B , Douglas S , Mirza S
Published: April 2009

Spherical cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions such as sebaceous cysts are often removed via an ellipse, particularly if they are relatively large. Deciding the width of the ellipse can be difficult. We calculated that if the width of the ellipse is one-third of the half circumference, then the wound should close satisfactorily.
Report from India
Authors: Gee E. P.
Published: April 2009

Any news of wild life preservation (or lack of it) in India, as in other parts of South Asia, must be examined against the background of a young democratic and liberal administration which has not sought to restrict the issue of licenses for firearms and which has encouraged rapid development and industrialization. Those outside the sanctuaries have become considerably human population and spread of villages and agriculture, and an equal increase in numbers of domestic cattle and buffaloes with consequent opening up of new areas for grazing.
Birds of the Boreens
Authors: Dobinson H. M.
Published: April 2009

“ Gale warnings for sea areas Fastnet, Shannon, Rockall”—we all know the familiar phrase. But where is Fastnet, and what is it? It is a tiny lump of rock set in the Atlantic four miles beyond Cape Clear Island, which would otherwise be the southern tip of Ireland. Like “The Cape”, as the island is known locally, it was once part of a ridge of hills running south-west from somewhere near Skibbereen; but the land has sunk and been broken into a line of islands forming the south side of one of the “rias bays” of west Cork and Kerry.
The Plight of the Whales
Authors: Gulland J. A.
Published: April 2009

Even at the time that Herman Melville wrote Moby Dick whalers were alarmed at the decline in whale stocks. To-day the situation is so serious as a result of overhunting that the whaling industry, which could produce more than half a million tons of meat and edible oils a year, is destroying itself. John Gulland, of the Fisheries Research Laboratory at Lowestoft, was one of the Committee of four scientists appointed by the Whaling Commission to investigate the whale stocks. Their report last summer showed how serious the depletion had been. Nevertheless, die recommendations for cuts in the whale quotas were rejected by the four whaling countries. In this article, originally broadcast by the B.B.C., Mr Gulland suggests an ingenious solution which he regards as the only hope for saving both whales and whaling.
Rabies and Wildlife
Authors: Woodford Michael
Published: April 2009

Rabies in human beings is always fatal. The commonest source of human infection is the domestic dog, which in turn is infected by wild carnivorous animals. As a result of the widespread outbreak of rabies in recent years in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas there have been demands for wholesale slaughter of certain wild animals. The recently published fifth report of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Expert Committee on Rabies recommends control of certain vector species. The danger, as Michael Woodford points out in this assessment of the report, is that the methods used will almost certainly involve the killing of other harmless wildlife.
New Sighting of Przewalski Horses
Authors: Kaszab Z.
Published: April 2009

In the summer of 1966 Dr Kaszab, Director of the Zoological Department of the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Budapest, was invited by the Mongolian and Hungarian Academies of Science to lead an expedition, his fourth, to western Mongolia, in the course of which the members had the good fortune to sight eight Przewalski wild horses.
Conservation by Captive Breeding: a General Survey
Authors: Fitter Richard
Published: April 2009

Breeding rare animals in captivity is only a second best but essential if they cannot be preserved in the wild, and in this zoos have an important part to play. Richard Fitter, hon. secretary of the Fauna Preservation Society, describes some of the most successful captive breeding programmes so far—Pére David's deer, European bison, Przewalski wild horse and Arabian oryx—and urges zoos to give serious attention now to the more difficult tasks of breeding primates and carnivores, of which several species, notably orang utans and the larger apes are endangered. He also suggests that zoos should anticipate the day when species now common become rare by establishing captive breeding programmes that would make them self-supporting in these animals.
White and Black Rhinoceros in Rhodesia
Authors: Roth H. H.
Published: April 2009

This account of the past and present status of both species of rhinoceros in Rhodesia was presented by the author, in his capacity as Assistant Director (Research) of National Parks and Wildlife Management in Rhodesia, to the Survival Service Commission of IUCN in 1965, and since brought up to date. Dr. Roth, who is now Wildlife Officer of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), describes how both species have been eliminated from large areas not only by human settlement but also by tsetse control operations, and shows the importance of modern techniques of translocation, both for saving threatened populations and reducing local over-populations.
Manatees and Crocodiles
Authors: Charnock-Wilson John
Published: April 2009

In the summer of 1969 the author returned to British Honduras, on a Churchill Fellowship, to follow up his previous studies of the manatee Trichecus manatus manatus and two crocodiles Crocodylus acutus and C. moreleti, all ‘Red Book’ species (see ORYX, May 1968). He found a good breeding population of the manatee, but the plight of both crocodiles he describes as desperate.
Oryx Tour to Botswana and Zambia
Authors: Jenkins David
Published: April 2009

Thirteen members of the FPS, escorted by Dr David Jenkins, received a very special welcome in Botswana and Zambia last July/August. Not only did they see a wealth of wildlife, they were entertained and helped by conservationists and addressed by the Zambian Minister of State; they were also able to hear from and have discussions with workers in the field which gave them an insight into some conservation problems and made their trip ‘very worthwhile’.
The Luangwa Valley: an Ecological Study
Authors: Gough Mary
Published: April 2009

The late Mary Gough was an accurate and dedicated observer of wildlife, and its habitats. In the last ten years she spent long periods in the Luangwa Valley in Zambia, and was part author, with R. M. Lawton, of a paper on elephant grazing and browsing in the Luangwa in Oryx, May 1970. She was killed in the field in 1971. These notes have been compiled from her detailed diaries by Ray Lawton and her sister, Evelyn Millward, as a memorial to her work. Miss Millward also paid for Mrs Gough's photographs to be reproduced in colour. The introduction and the discussion are by Dr Lawton and Miss Millward.
Trade Threats to Butterflies
Authors: Owen D. F.
Published: April 2009

In Britain there are no restrictions on collecting, importing, buying or selling of butterflies, however rare or threatened, and a worldwide trade has developed that is still growing. One Kent dealer lists bird-wings at £98 a pair. The author urges the need for their protection. The situation underlines the urgency for the comprehensive wildlife protection bill, with schedules listing rare and endangered species of animals, insects and plants, referred to on page 403.
Rarest Eagle Owl in Trouble
Authors: White G. B.
Published: April 2009

The nduk or Vosseier's eagle owl Bubo vosseleri is known from only eight specimens in one area of Tanzania. No ornithologist has ever certainly seen this owl in the wild, and nothing is known about its status. But the author, who lived in the area for several years, fears that numbers must be small and are bound to be affected by the steady destruction of the forest that is going on.
Tana River Colobus and Mangabey
Authors: Groves Colin P. , Andrews Peter , Horne Jennifer F. M.
Published: April 2009

The numbers of both these highly endangered monkeys, found only on the Tana River in north-east Kenya, are down to about 2000, possibly fewer. The authors of this status and habitat survey describe the continuing threats to both animals and make proposals for a reserve to protect them.
The Disappearing Natterjack
Authors: Corbett Keith F. , Beebee Trevor J. C.
Published: April 2009

The natterjack toad is decreasing rapidly in Britain. This is particularly true of its largest population on the dunes of south-west Lancashire, where developments in the form of houses, roads and a holiday camp have deprived it of habitat. Even more serious, say the authors, who have made a survey of this toad in Britain for WWF, is the drying out of the dune slacks, the freshwater pools where the natterjacks breed, as a result of the lowering of the water table by drainage and abstraction. The artificial substitutes provided so far are not adqeuate and the authors urge the need to create large and suitable breeding pools for the toads.
Whales and Whaling: a Dance of Death
Authors: Fitter Richard
Published: April 2009

The whaling industry and its raw material, the whale stocks of the world, continue their grim Totentanz towards their mutual extinction. The most significant event of the 27th meeting of the International Whaling Commission in London in June, and one of the least publicised, was the Soviet announcement that next season they would have only two instead of three Antarctic expeditions. And, in fulfilment of the classic Parkinsonian theory, the IWC is about to get itself a full-time secretary and new offices in Cambridge just as the industry which provides its raison d'être has reached the brink of the precipice of its final decline. For the most significant event of all was one which was ignored at the meeting: the current experiments by Norway, West Germany, and other nations into the harvesting of krill. Since harvesting the top of the food chain is always the most uneconomic method of using natural resources, it may well be that in human terms it is more economic for men rather than whales to feed on krill. But there can be no doubt that a thoroughgoing effort to harvest krill would mean the virtual end of the whaling industry, by depriving the great baleen whales of their food. But this prospect did not seem sufficiently real to the IWC mandarins to warrant their discussing it—again a classic reaction to imminent extinction.
Wildlife in Zaïre
Authors: Verschuren Jacques
Published: April 2009

The first part of Dr Verschuren's survey of Zaïre's wildlife, which appeared in the last issue of Oryx, April 1975, surveyed the main wildlife areas and described the conservation policy of the Zaïre Government under President Mobutu Sese Seko, one of the most forward-looking and conservation-minded governments in Africa. This second article discusses the status of the major large mammals. The author concludes that, largely because Zaïre has maintained very large areas of forest intact, the wildlife situation on the whole is good. Most encouraging is the fact that the highest authorities in Zaïre appreciate the value of their wildlife heritage. The photographs in this article are by the author.
The Grass Snake in Britain
Authors: Spellerberg Ian F.
Published: April 2009

A questionnaire survey to investigate the grass snake's status in Britain showed that, while in some areas it was still abundant, in others it had declined and continued to do so, mainly through habitat destruction and collecting. The author concludes that, because of its special habitat requirements, this snake could easily become an endangered species in Britain, unlike the adder which can occupy many marginal habitats.
Problem Tiger in the Sundarbans
Authors: Seidensticker John , Lahiri R. K. , Das K. C. , Wright Anne
Published: April 2009

In August 1974 a young male tiger moved into a populated area in the Sundarbans, the delta of the Ganges, and killed one woman and a number of livestock. Rather than destroy the animal the Forest Directorate decided to capture it, using immobilising drugs, and release it in the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve. This was successfully done, but less than a week later it was found dead from wounds evidently inflicted by another tiger. The authors discuss the implications of the incident, the publicity it attracted, and the changes in public attitudes.
The Black-footed Ferret
Authors: Clark Tim W.
Published: April 2009

The black-footed ferret depends on prairie dogs for both shelter and food, living in their underground ‘towns’ and preying on them. But the prairie dogs, regarded as pests by the ranchers and farmers, have been subjected to intensive poisoning campaigns which successfully exterminated them over most of their range and heavily reduced their numbers in the rest. This has brought the ferrets to the verge of extinction. A conservation management programme is urgently needed but difficult to devise, because so little is known about these elusive, nocturnal and now very rare underground dwellers. The author believes that computer simulation models now offer a good study method, and suggests how this should be done.
Plan for Reserves in Oman
Authors: Harrison David L. , Gallagher Michael D.
Published: April 2009

The proposal for a national park in Jebel Akhdar, in Oman, described in Oryx, November 1974, has been carried a stage further by a scientific survey made in April 1975 with the fullest support from the Oman Government. Originally the park was designed to protect the Arabian tahr Hemitragus jayakari, but so few survive in the area that the authors have recommended that, while the park plan should go forward, thus giving the survivors full protection, another reserve should be made the major conservation area for tahr.
Spotted Cats and the Amazon Skin Trade
Authors: Smith Nigel J. H.
Published: April 2009

In Brazil the trade in spotted cat skins – mainly jaguar and ocelot – built up in the early 1960s and provoked the Government in 1967 to outlaw all commercial exploitation of wildlife. The author estimates that this cut the annual kill from 15,000 jaguars and 80,000 ocelots to about half, which he thinks both populations can stand without becoming endangered. Moreover, the programme of massive development and settlement on the forest margins along the new Transamazon highway has run into difficulties, and forest destruction has so far been much less than was expected.
Breeding Endangered Species
Authors: Leyhausen Paul
Published: April 2009

In 1971 FPS proposed a world conference on breeding endangered species in captivity, and the first conference was held under the joint auspices of FPS and the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust at Jersey Zoo in 1972 (Oryx XI:5, May 1972). This proved highly successful and in response to the worldwide demand for a repeat a second conference was held in July 1976, at the London Zoo, under the joint auspices of FPS and the Zoological Society of London, which this year celebrated its 150th anniversary. In this account Dr Paul Leyhausen, of the Max Planck Institute, who is Chairman of the IUCN Cat Group, and took part in the meetings, sums up their content and importance.
The Abruzzo Chamois
Authors: Lovari Sandro
Published: April 2009

The chamois in the Appennine Mountains of central Italy are reduced to under 400 animals scattered in a few places in the Abruzzo National Park. Shooting outside the park and the presence of livestock and shepherd dogs make it impossible for the chamois to spread. A field study is now being made and reinrroductions are planned.
Suicide of the Whaling Industry
Authors: Fitter Richard
Published: April 2009

The FPS Honorary Secretary represented both the FPS and the British National Appeal of WWF at the meetings of the International Whaling Commission, in Canberra, Australia, in June 1977. The FPS Statement to the IWC called again for a moratorium on whaling, as proposed at Stockholm in 1972, and commented: ‘It is a sobering thought to consider how much larger the whale stocks and quotas were in 1972 than they are today’.
The Barbary Macaque in North Africa
Authors: Taub David Milton
Published: April 2009

Destruction of the native forests is the chief reason for the decline of the Barbary macaque Macaca sylvanus in Morocco and Algeria, its last wild refuges. (This is the monkey that occurs in a semi-wild state on Gibraltar.) The wild populations now are mostly small and widely separated, and the few that are in protected areas are unfortunately not the most viable. The author spent 15 months on a behavioral study of the macaque in Morocco in 1973–74, and three months on a survey in both countries, partly aided by an FPS Oryx 100% Fund grant. After his report, which underlines the urgency of protecting some of the Middle Atlas cedar forests, was presented the Moroccan Government inivited him to advise them on wildlife management and conservation programmes, including the development of national parks.
Forest Destruction – Can We Stop It in Time?
Authors: Heywood V.H.
Published: April 2009

Plant conservation has got off to a late start. Many undescribed species are certainly already extinct, their value unknown. Professor Heywood argues that, because both the losses and the potential are greatest in the tropics, attention must focus there first. Less than one per cent of tropical lowland forest is in national parks or reserves, and there are many areas where little of it may be left even by 1990. This article is the substance of Professor Heywood's talk to the ffPS at last year's Annual General Meeting.
The Krill Problem in Antarctica
Authors: Bonner W. Nigel
Published: April 2009

Krill fishing in the Southern Ocean has raised in acute form the question of wildlife conservation in Antarctica: what will be the effect on the ecosystem? how much krill can be taken? who can take part? what regulations are needed? The author, a scientist of the British Antarctic Survey, considers the answers in the light of the Antarctic Treaty of 1959 and the Canberra Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources of 1980, and looks at some criticisms of the latter put forward in a recently published book. He suggests that the Convention, while not ideal, is to be welcomed because it provides a framework for conservation and rational exploitation that can be made to work – if the nations that signed it are determined to make it do so.
Fur Seals Return to Gough Island
Authors: Bourne W.R.P.
Published: April 2009

After a somewhat perilous landing on Gough Island, south of Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic, the author was able to confirm the remarkable comeback of the fur seals there, once heavily exploited but now numbering over a hundred thousand.
Villas, Villagers and Tortoises in Greece
Authors: Stubbs David
Published: April 2009

In the summer of 1980 four members of the University of London Natural History Society went to Lake Alyki in Macedonia to study a population of tortoises Testudo hermanni. Such studies are urgently needed because very little is known about the ecology of Mediterranean tortoises, which are declining seriously, due mainly to habitat loss and collecting for the pet trade. The expedition chose Alyki after an expedition by the same society in 1979 had reported an exceptionally rich wildlife there including a large tortoise population. A new holiday village nearby did not appear to threaten the main wildlife areas, and a commercial salt works only operated at the north end of the lake from which access to the heath was not easy. However, unknown to the four members, the 1980 expedition had walked into an explosive situation. The following account is quoted from their report.
The Bigger They Are…
Authors: Coe Malcolm
Published: April 2009

Large body size is dangerous. The Pleistocene megafauna disappeared, it is now believed, at the hands of man. Large body size may help elephants and giant tortoises to avoid predators and to cover large areas in search of food. But this size also means that, because they must feed continuously, they need a large area of land to sustain them, and that the long gestation time and dependence of the young on their parents reduce population turnover. Only a very low harvest can be taken of such animals. The African elephant, if it is left to the mercies of poachers with automatic weapons, must become extinct.
Humpback Sightings in Antarctica
Authors: Bonner Nigel
Published: April 2009

Because of their coastal habits and lethargic nature, humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae have been among the species hardest hit by the whaling industry. Between 1904 and 1973 (when humpback catching finally ceased), 68,294 humpbacks were reported killed in Antarctic waters, more than 40 per cent of these in the first ten years. Humpbacks, which are relatively easy to identify at sea, have been reported from the Antarctic in recent years only rarely. However, it now seems that some recovery may be taking place.
A remote park in Colombia
Authors: Defler Thomas R.
Published: April 2009

In the half million hectares of the remote El Tuparro National Park, on the Venezuelan frontier, the abundant wildlife includes the Orinoco crocodile and a good population of the endangered giant otter. Hitherto access to the park has been poor, and the only people are a few settlers and Indians hunting with bows and arrows, but new roads are bringing in both new settlers and vehicle drivers with guns.
In urgent need of protection—habitat for the woolly spider monkey
Authors: Hatton John , Smart Nick , Thomson Koy
Published: April 2009

Brazil has more primate species than any other country in the world but large-scale deforestation for agriculture and industry has brought an estimated 22 species to the verge of extinction. Nowhere is this habitat destruction more evident than in Brazil's Atlantic forest ecosystem. Although originally extending along the entire length of the eastern coastline, today only small isolated tracts of primary forest remain. In 1983 the authors, aided by an Oryx 100% Fund grant of £200, carried out a vegetation and habitat survey in the forest of Fazenda Montes Claros, one of the last remaining refuges for the woolly spider monkey Brachyteles arachnoids. The 47 individuals within the forest form the largest single breeding population in the world today. Rapid and effective action is required to secure this habitat if there is to be any hope of saving this primate from extinction.
The Bengal florican: its conservation in Nepal
Authors: Inskipp C. , Collar N. J.
Published: April 2009

The Bengal florican is perhaps amongst the most threatened species in the Indian subcontinent. It is virtually extinct throughout its former range due to the loss of grassland habitat, grass burning and, in earlier times, severe hunting pressure. The International Council for Bird Preservation, recognising that too little was known about the bird's present distribution in Nepal to take steps towards its conservation, organised a project to provide the missing information. The 1982 survey described here found that probably no more than 100 Bengal floricans remain in Nepal. The Nepalese Government has already taken one positive step: its planned extensions to one park and two reserves where the florican still breeds should result in substantial increases in areas of the grassland habitat that the birds favour.
Tropical forest management: can rates of natural treefalls help guide us?
Authors: Skorupa Joseph P. , Kasenene John M.
Published: April 2009

Only a small percentage of tropical forests are legally protected and so, if we are to conserve tropical forest species we must encourage sustainable exploitation of unprotected forest areas. Selective timber harvesting is frequently cited as a sustainable use of tropical forests and the authors studied the effects of this kind of exploitation on natural treefall rates, an important regulative process, in the Kibale Forest, Uganda. Their results indicate that levels of destruction typical of capital intensive mechanised timber harvesting seriously disrupt the dynamic balance of the forest. They discuss alternative methods for selective timber harvesting that would be less disruptive and present an objective method which may help rain forest managers determine which multiple-use options are compatible with rain forest conservation.
The Mountain Gorilla Project: Progress Report No. 6
Authors: Wilson Roger
Published: April 2009

The Mountain Gorilla Project (MGP) has now been running in the field for over five years. This report covers its activities between November 1982 and February 1984 and also considers what has been achieved so far and what has still to be done. A review is timely for we are approaching a critical point in the evolution of the project. The author has been employed by ffPS as the MGP Field Officer in Rwanda for the past two-and-a-half years.
W National Park in Niger—a case for urgent assistance
Authors: Grettenberger John
Published: April 2009

W National Park is shared by Niger, Upper Volta and Benin, and is recognized as being one of the most important parks in West Africa by virtue of its size—11,320 sq km—and its diversity of habitats and species*. Both its proximity to the rapidly growing capital of Niamey, Niger, and the burgeoning trans-Saraha tourist traffic give it great tourist potential. The park and its wildlife, however, are under constantly increasing pressure from poaching, illegal grazing, uncontrolled bush fires, the possibility of phosphate mining, and the lack of financial and material means to combat these problems. The author is a US Peace Corps biologist who worked in Niger for four years, for part of the time attached to the IUCN/WWF aridlands project. He describes conditions and problems in the Niger sector of W National Park and discusses possible solutions.
Tropical forest primates and logging: long-term coexistence?
Authors: Johns Andrew Grieser , Johns Bettina Grieser
Published: April 2009

Over 10 years ago, Oryxpublished initial details of an investigation into the effects of selective timber logging on primates in the Sungai Tekam Forestry Concession in peninsular Malaysia (Johns, 1983). This original 2-year field study developed into a long-term monitoring programme, in which the recovery of primates in the regenerating forest is to be recorded throughout the logging cycle. This is the only such monitoring programme so far established in the world's tropical forests. The dataset is now complete for forests logged up to 18 years ago.
Gorilla quest in Nigeria
Authors: Harcourt A. H. , Stewart K. J. , Inahoro I. M.
Published: April 2009

There had been no news of Nigeria's gorillas for 30 years when in 1987 rumours began to circulate that they survived in the south-east part of the country. At the end of the year the authors conducted a survey in the area and confirmed that gorillas were indeed present. They found evidence of five sub-populations, more or less isolated from each other and living in forests that are increasingly threatened by destruction and where hunting might kill one-and-a-half times as many gorillas as are born each year. Nevertheless, the authors suggest that the future of these attractive animals could be ensured, with adequate control of hunting and the development of gorilla-viewing tourism in the region.
Conservation at Al-Areen Wildlife Park, Bahrain
Authors: Samour Jaime , Irwin-Davies James , Mohanna Mubarak , Faraj Essa
Published: April 2009

Bahrain was perhaps the first Arab country to realize the rapid decline of many native wild animal populations in the region and the urgent need to implement measures to ensure their survival. Part of Bahrain's response to this realization was the establishment of Al-Areen Wildlife Park. It was hoped that setting up a conservation centre dedicated to the preservation of wildlife would promote similar projects in other countries in the region. Now, more than 10 years since its creation, the authors review the original objectives of the project, its achievements and its aims for the future.
Beyond rhino horn—wildlife conservation for North Yemen
Authors: Varisco Daniel Martin
Published: April 2009

North Yemen banned the import of rhinoceros horn in 1982. There is still a demand for the horn to make dagger handles, however, and to meet this some is still smuggled into the country. This illegal trade threatens the world's last populations of rhinoceros and in late 1987 the author went to North Yemen to study the problem and to devlop a conservation strategy.
Conservation in Equatorial Guinea
Authors: Fa John E.
Published: April 2009

Equatorial Guinea, the only Spanish-speaking country in tropical Africa, is an important enclave for wildlife. Because of its dire economic situation, the outcome of the withdrawal of colonial paternalism and 11 years of ruthless military dictatorship, the country sees the exploitation of its natural resources as the panacea to its financial deficit. The consequences for fauna and flora of the unchecked exploitation and uncontrolled opening of forest land for commercial logging will be enormous. Some protected areas have been decreed, but effective action to enforce new laws needs to be taken and the country lacks trained personnel and infrastructure.
The Liberian mongoose
Authors: Taylor Mark E.
Published: April 2009

The Liberian mongoose Liberiictis kuhni, the only member of its genus, was described as a new species from skulls in 1958. The first two complete specimens were obtained as recently as 1974. Although several more animals have been captured since then, all in Liberia, the species's status and ecology remain poorly known. In 1988 the FFPS contributed £500 towards a field study of the mongoose in Liberia and while this expedition succeeded in finding only one animal that had been killed by a hunter, a subsequent attempt in 1989 was more successful.
Elephants and ivory poaching in the forests of equatorial Africa
Authors: Barnes R. F. W. , Agnagna M. , Alers M. P. T. , Blom A. , Doungoube G. , Fay M. , Masunda T. , Nkoumou J. C. Ndo , Kiyengo C. Sikubwabo , Tchamba M.
Published: April 2009

Reconnaissance surveys were made of the forests of four central African countries to establish, for the first time, the status of forest-dwelling elephants. The results, when combined with information from previous surveys in other countries, provide a picture of the elephant situation in the forest zone, and especially the impact of poaching. About one-third of the forest elephant population of central Africa is to be found in Zaire, and about one-third in Gabon. The rest are in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, and Congo. It is poaching for ivory, rather than the growth of human populations, which threatens the elephants of the equatorial forests.
Breeding Endangered Species
Authors: RSRF
Published: April 2009

The 3rd World Conference on Breeding Endangered Species in Captivity, covering both self-sustaining captive populations and re-introductions into the wild, was held in San Diego, California, from November 12 to 16,1979. It was co-sponsored by the Fauna Preservation Society, which initiated the conferences and had co-sponsored the earlier ones at Jersey Zoo in 1972 and London Zoo in 1976, and by the Zoological Society of San Diego, which made all the very efficient local arrangements.
Conservation of white uacaries in Amazonian várzea
Authors: Ayres J. Márcio , Johns Andrew D.
Published: April 2009

Until two decades ago, the only reference to the white uacari of the upper Amazon, known locally as the ‘English monkey’, had been provided by the British naturalist Henry Walter Bates, who saw captured animals during his sojourn in Amazonia in the 1850s. A major Brazilian initiative led us to the first intensive field study of the species, which was carried out in 1983 and 1984 by one of the authors, J. M. Ayres, with the participation of a large number of Brazilian scientists and a few from overseas. The study illustrated the uniqueness of thevárzeahabitat in which the animals live and the threats it currently faces. It also captured the attention of both the Brazilian scientific community and the public. Possibilities for the creation of a reserve area within thevárzeaare now being implemented.
Two new Brazilian primates discovered, endangered
Authors: Ferrari Stephen F. , Queiroz Helder L.
Published: April 2009

Field studies at distant sites in Brazilian Amazonia have brought to light two new species of primate, the black-headed marmoset Callithrix nigriceps and the Ka'apor capuchin Cebus kaapori. Little is known about either species, although both appear to have small geographical ranges in regions with relatively high human densities and where habitat-degrading activities, such as logging and mining, have been intensifying over the past two decades. These discoveries highlight the uncertain nature of our understanding of primate diversity in what is probably the biologically richest nation on earth. They also underline the urgent need for more detailed information from many areas, especially southern Amazonia, where habitat destruction is increasing.
Conservation of the brown howler monkey in south-east Brazil
Authors: Chiarello Adriano Garcia , Galetti Mauro
Published: April 2009

The brown howler monkey Alouatta fusca once had a wide geographical distribution throughout a large part of the Atlantic forest in Brazil. Today only 5 per cent of these forests remain and the species is endangered. Howler monkeys can thrive in small forest fragments but they are more vulnerable to hunting, disease, and predation in these habitats than in undisturbed forests. Brown howler monkeys are important seed dispersers of several plant species, particularly in isolated forest fragments where specialized frugivores are absent. In protected areas without large predators howlers can reach high densities and the management of these populations is necessary to avoid inbreeding.
A last chance for Kutai National Park – local industry support for conservation
Authors: MacKinnon Kathy , Irving Alan , Bachruddin Memet A.
Published: April 2009

Kutai National Park in East Kalimantan was originally established as a game reserve in 1936 and became a national park in 1982. The park's lowland forests have suffered from logging, agricultural encroachment and extensive fires during the prolonged dry season in 1982 and 1983. During the 1980s a new coal mine opened at Sangatta to exploit rich coal deposits along the northern boundary of the park. The new mine could have been the ‘last straw’ for Kutai. Instead, industrial development has provided a new and exciting opportunity to strengthen park protection and management.