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Tlie black-footed ferret (above) is one of the more notable 

 of the endangered species of American wildlife. It ha- 

 bitually lives in prairie-dog colonies, where it may be 

 affected by predatory control operations. Prairie dogs 

 (left) are destructive to rangelands and are therefore 

 •subject to population control. The Bureau, in collabora- 

 tion with the National Park Service and the Welder 

 Wildlife Foundation, is studying the life history and 

 e<'olog}- of the ferret to determine its relations to land 

 and other wildlife. (Photo by R. D. Powell, courtesy 

 of the National Park Service, above ; Paul F. Springer, 

 left) 



Whooping erane propagation. — Three whoop 

 ing cranes were obtained by the Bureau in 1964. 

 Two whooping crane eggs of zoo origin were 

 hatclied under Japanese silky bantams after 28 

 days, about 2 days short of what is considered the 

 normal incubation period. Both chicks had con- 

 genital deformities; one, with a ruptured umbil- 

 icus, lived only 30 hours, and the other was hatched 

 with one femur dislocated from the pelvic socket. 

 This difficulty seemed to be corrected by traction 

 within a day after hatching but reappeared at S 

 days of age, and the bird was transferred to the 

 San Antonio Zoo for special treatment. It died 

 in its 18th day. Autopsy revealed a massive hem- 

 orrhage of the ischiadic vein. Growth of this 

 chick was rapid, and at death it was about H> 

 inches tall. 



This experience with one wliooping ci-ane chick 

 suggests that the s])ecies i<'S])on(ls similiirly to tlie 

 sandhill crane in incul)ati()ii, batcliiiig, feeding, 

 behavior, and growl li. 'i'lic suppositidu is su))- 

 ported that e.\])ericnci' gained from sandhill crane 

 propagation will be ai)i)licable to the wliooping 

 crane. 



In September int;t a jmenile whooping crane 



with its right wing dragging the ground was 

 spotted by a Canadian AVildlife Service plane 

 during a routine aerial survey of the Sass River 

 l)reeding grounds. The young whooper was subse- 

 quently rescued by helicopter and flown to Edmon- 

 ton where it was treated at a veterinary clinic. 

 A few days later it was turned over to Bureau 

 biologists and flown to the Monte Vista Research 

 Station in Colorado. 



The injuries to the wing were serious, involving 

 a fractured humerus, deep nuiscle lacerations, and 

 probable damage to the brachial nerve. The young 

 whooper, a male, was treated at the College of Vet- 

 erinai-y Medicine, Colorado State University. 

 Every effort is being made to save the wing so that 

 tlie bird may be retained as a breeder. Its general 

 condition \v;i,s very good, iind the winter molt was 

 normal. 



Hare geese. — T\vel\e of the IS Aleutian Canada 

 geese obtained as goslings from Biddir Island in 

 l!)f>3 were maintained in good health. No repro- 

 duction has occurred, since they have not yet 

 reached breeding age. Five of the geese are males 

 and se\en are females. 



