THE ENIGMA OF PLEIONE ‘FRANK KINGDON WARD’

Pleione ‘Frank Kingdon Ward’ first appeared in collections in the 1950s and has persisted. It has been considered to be a form of the spring flowered Pleione humilis but cytological examination shows it to be a triploid hybrid. Its identity is examined here and a formal hybrid name is proposed for it.     

ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN RACE OF THE LITTLE SPOTTED WOODPECKER

Discriminant analysis functions have previously been determined for sexing Mediterranean Yellow-legged Gulls Larus michahellis michahellis from the western Mediterranean basin. However, data from eastern Mediterranean populations are lacking. In this work, we used morphometric data from a sample of 81 Mediterranean Yellow-legged Gulls (39 males and 42 females) breeding in the Gulf of Gabès in south-eastern Tunisia to (1) determine a discriminant function useful for sex discrimination, and (2) assess the accuracy of previously published functions in sexing Mediterranean Yellow-legged Gulls from our study area. Our results showed marked sexual differences in all morphological measurements, with males being significantly larger than females. The best discriminant function included head length, bill depth and wing length, and accurately classified 93% of sampled birds. We also found that Mediterranean Yellow-legged Gulls from the Gulf of Gabès could accurately be sexed using discriminant functions determined for another North African population, but not with a function determined for a South European population, although distances between sites are almost the same.     

THE RELATION OF COLD RESISTANCE TO THE STATUS OF PHOSPHORUS AND CERTAIN METABOLITES IN RED-OSIER DOGWOOD (CORNUS STOLONIFERA MICHX.)

The process of cold acclimation in the winter hardy woody shrubCornus stolonifera Michx. was studied in relation to changesin phosphorus status and certain metabolites. Plants were coldacclimated effectively under controlled conditions which combinedshortening photoperiods and freezing temperatures. Metabolicchanges under these conditions were similar to those which occurnaturally in autumn. There was an extremely close relationshipbetween cold resistance and the status of phosphorus; i.e. ashardiness increased inorganic P decreased and acid soluble boundP and total organic P increased. Starch decreased during acclimationwhile the simpler carbohydrates increased. These included glucose,sucrose, fructose, raffinose, melibiose, xylose, and stachyosein decreasing order of occurrence. Proteins increased whilefree amino acids generally decreased. The non-volatile organicacids in decreasing quantitative order included malic, succinic,quinic, tartaric, citric, and shikimic acids. Of these onlyshikimic acid increased during hardening. These biochemicalchanges are discussed in reference to current theories of coldacclimation in plants. (Received June 18, 1966; )     

THE LITTLE CURLEW NUMENIUS MINUTUS IN SIBERIA

The Little Curlew, closest relative of the Eskimo Curlew, is a rare bird and has a restricted range in eastern Siberia. Within this range, nesting colonies are scattered and separated by hundreds of kilometres. From three to 30 pairs nest 200–300 m apart and within a radius of 1 km. Some colonies are associated with Golden Eagle nests. Both sexes incubate and eggs hatch in 22–23 days. Nests are found on dry well-drained slopes of low hills and in glades of sparse woodland of larch and dwarf birch. The display flight is similar to that of the Pintail Snipe but unusual for the genus Numenius. It takes place high in the air; the male flies in circles, utters a fluting trill and plunges downwards producing a drumming sound. The Little Curlew has a breeding-ground repertoire of at least six different sounds. In contrast to the Eskimo Curlew, which is a purely tundra species, the Little Curlew inhabits sparse larchwoods on the slopes of low hills. At the present, the Little Curlew is not in danger of extinction.     

THE LITTLE SWIFT AND OTHERS AT KASAMA

Rijke, A. M., Jesser, W. A. &; Mahoney, S. A. 1989. Plumage wettability of the African Darter Anhinga melanogaster compared with the Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocarax auritus. Ostrich 60:128-132.

Darters emerge from water “dripping wet” but are able to become airborne without delay. Their plumage is, on the whole, three times more wettable than that of cormorants. We investigated the microscopic structure and resistance to water penetration of the body, wing and tail feathers of the African Darter, Anhinga melanogaster.

The results show values of the structural parameter (r + d)/r for body feathers in the range of 9 to 12, whereas for rectrices, primaries, secondaries and tertiaries, a range of 2 to 3 was observed, with barbules measuring 2 to 3. Penetration pressures measure zero to 1 cm water head for the body feathers and 6 to 15 cm for the wing and tail feathers. These findings suggest that on submersion, the body feathers wet out entirely but wing and tail feathers resist becoming waterlogged which may reduce buoyancy when stalking prey underwater and permit the darter to take to the air immediately after a dive. The results have been compared with those of similar measurements on cormorant feathers, which underscore the dual nature of the darter plumage in terms of water repellency and resistance to water penetration.     

纵纹腹小鸮在中国的分布、栖息地及各亚种的梯度变异(鸮形目:鸱鸮科)

文章首次报道了纵纹腹小Athenenoctua不同亚种之间第1枚初级飞羽外及最外侧1枚小翼羽的斑纹特征,爪的累积长度及左脚中趾爪长的差异;增补了小在国内新的分布点。在国内的4个亚种中,An．ludlbowi栖息于最冷、多风的高海拔地区。它的羽色最深,体形最大,翅也最长;A．n．orientalis分布于较干热的沙漠地区,体色明显变白,是国内亚种中羽色最淡的;我国甘肃、青海一带的类群或多或少地处于A.n.ludlowi和An．plumipes之间;在北部地区,特别是在内蒙古的西北部,个体则显出在An．plumipes和An．orientalis之间。在羽色、大小和地理分布上,An．impasta明显地界于An．ludlowi和A．n．plumipes之间。随着分布区纬度的升高,翅长的变化略有缩短趋势,呈现出明显的梯度变异。在国内,这种小主要分布于山脚林缘、平原、草地、丘陵、荒坡及沟壑等生境。在歧山（陕西省）最合适的生境为具有稀树、土台或沟壑的开阔田野,常见于长江以北的广大地区,长江天险对小的向南扩散明显有阻限作用。