V-B-18 



Glazener, W.C. 1946. Food habits of wild geese on the Gulf coast of 

 Texas. Journal of Wildlife Management 10:322-329. 



The food in the gizzards of 117 geese was separated, measured 

 volumetrically, and identified to furnish quantitative data from 

 birds taken in the area between Corpus Christi and Galveston Bay, Texas, 

 from October to March, 1939-1942. Wintering geese in this area ordi- 

 narily have a regular daily feeding schedule, making one trip to the 

 feeding ground in the early morning and another in the late afternoon 

 with a midday rest period at a waterhole. 



Food materials were shown to be entirely of plant origin, including 

 31 species of flowering plants and algae. More than 66 percent of 

 the identified material was of grasses (Graminae). Rice, corn, and 

 grain sorghums were the cultivated crops most commonly and exten- 

 sively taken, and practically all of this was waste picked from the 

 ground. Saltgrass, water cress, and panic grass were the native 

 species most extensively consumed. Flax and winter truck crops are 

 sometimes eaten by geese to the point that these crops may eventually 

 require protection at times. (G.S.) 



Keywords: geese, food habits, Texas Gulf coast 



V-B-19 



Chamberlain, J.L. 1957. An ecological study of a Gulf Coast marsh. 



Rockefeller Refuge, Grand Chenier, Louisiana. Ph.D. Thesis. University 



of Tennessee. 160 pp. (Diss. Abstr. 18:1538-B) 



The purpose of the study was to describe the environment of an 

 86,000-acre coastal marsh, appraise the factors influencing local 

 distribution of marsh plants, and interpret the dependency of 

 waterfowl upon the vegetation. 



Precipitation, temperature, water level, and evaporation were 

 recorded. Soil salinity, determined from conductivity of extracted 

 solutions, and water salinity were measured. 



Heaviest rains were in the summer. Spring and fall were the 

 driest seasons. Evaporation rates increased from winter to summer. 

 Marsh vegetation significantly reduced evaporation. Surface soil 

 salinities were greater and varied less than the overlying water. 

 Seasonal variations of surface soil and water paralleled one another. 

 Salinity was highest in early summer and in the fall and lowest in 

 winter and early spring. There was an inverse relationship between 

 salinities and water levels. Trends in evaporation agreed with changes 

 in salinity. A slight vertical salinity gradient was normal in a 



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