breeding groups, each of which hud its own dom- 

 inant male and its females. Some males were ex- 

 cluded from any breeding groups. Within the 

 groups, dominant males evidently sired most or all 

 of the young. Males of the breeding groups 

 showed some territorial tendencies and defended 

 areas depending upon location of the females. 

 Wild swamp rabbits may form breeding groups of 

 this type, and the interrupted habitat type often 

 used by the species would be conducive to forma- 

 tion of such groups. This is apparently the first 

 specific delineation of a habitat preference in rela- 

 tion to breeding habits of the swamp rabbit. 



Ecology of the striped skunk determined by 

 telemetry. Five skunks were trapped and r:nli<>- 

 equipped by the Ohio Unit in July and August of 

 1063. A high incidence of rabies in this species 

 prompted an attempt to develop tracking equip- 

 ment to study movements and behavior patterns. 

 Radio tracking showed that skunks prefer water- 

 way shorelines as travel lanes, but frequently use 

 fencerows. They feed in hayfields, meadows, or 

 pastures with short vegetation, and usually travel 

 0.5 to 1 mile from the densite. Movements from 

 dens began at about 7 p.m. and the animals re- 

 turned between 3 and 5 a.m. Four to six hours 

 were spent in the feeding area once it was reached 

 by casual, unhurried travel. After feeding, the 

 instrumented skunks moved directly back to the 

 den. 



Arctic fox. — In an arctic fox study by the 

 Alaska Unit it has been found that eskimo trap- 

 pers along the Arctic coast blame the low price of 

 furs ($12.50 average), availability of other forms 

 of employment, and occasional poor health, for the 

 reduced trapping in recent years. At the village of 

 Barrow an average of 73 traps per trapline is 

 maintained. Traplines vary from 5 to 175 miles in 

 length and average 63 miles; motorized over-snow 



Radio-tracking: of wild animals has become common, and 

 offers a means of studying movements, range, and be- 

 havior provided by no other technique. Montana Unit 

 members "instrument" a grizzly bear by installing a radio 

 transmitter attached to a neck collar (top); South 

 Dakota Unit personnel demonstrate a radio tracking de- 

 vice (middle) ; a striped skunk, "instrumented" by the 

 Ohio Unit, travels through a soybean field toward feeding 

 ground (bottom) — this animal was tracked continuously 

 for several days. (Photos by Montana Cooperative Wild- 

 life Research Unit, top ; Paul F. Springer, middle ; and 

 Tony J. Peterle, bottom) 



35 



