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One hundred fifty years ago, Texas was very different. A rural
population was spread thinly across the eastern and central parts
of the state, and vast lands in the western regions were still
undisturbed. Texas's habitats and biota changed dramatically as its
population increased and people spread across the landscape. In
Texas Natural History: A Century of Change (2002), David Schmidly
chronicled the changes that occurred during the twentieth century.
In this second edition, Schmidly is joined by colleagues Robert and
Lisa Bradley of Texas Tech University to extend that story over the
first two decades of the twenty-first century. The focus of Texas
Natural History in the 21st Century continues to be on the
mammalian fauna of the state, and it includes a reprinting of
Vernon Bailey's 1905 "The Biological Survey of Texas" with new
annotations and updates. In the rest of the book, the authors
discuss changes in landscapes, land use, and the status of Texas
mammals in the last hundred years. The authors present current
challenges to conserving the natural history of Texas and suggest
long-term solutions to those challenges, including actions focused
on both private and public lands. As Texas approaches the daunting
challenge of conserving its wildlife, Texas Natural History in the
21st Century serves as a rallying cry for addressing the scenarios
imperiling Texas's natural history in our present day and in the
future.
From reviews of previous editions: "This is the standard reference
about Texas mammals." -Wildlife Activist "A must for anyone
seriously interested in the wildlife of Texas." -Texas Outdoor
Writers Association News "[This book] easily fills the role of both
a field guide and a desk reference, and is written in a style that
appeals to the professional biologist and amateur naturalist alike.
. . . [It] should prove useful to anyone with an interest in the
mammal fauna of Texas or the southern Great Plains." -Prairie
Naturalist The Mammals of Texas has been the standard reference
since the first edition was coauthored by William B. Davis and
Walter P. Taylor in 1947. Revised several times over the succeeding
decades, it remains the most authoritative source of information on
the mammalian wildlife of Texas, with physical descriptions and
life histories for 202 species, abundant photographs and drawings,
and distribution maps. In this new edition, David J. Schmidly is
joined by one of the most active researchers on Texas mammals,
Robert D. Bradley, to provide a thorough update of the taxonomy,
distribution, and natural history of all species of wild mammals
that inhabit Texas today. Using the most recent advances in
molecular biology and in wildlife ecology and management, the
authors include the most current information about the scientific
nomenclature, taxonomy, and identification of species, while also
covering significant advances in natural history and conservation.
For the first time, this volume presents Vernon Bailey's
correspondences and field notes spanning the majority of his life
and career, collected and annotated by David J. Schmidly. Born in
1864 and raised on a Minnesota farm, Vernon Bailey became the first
person to conduct extensive biological surveys of Texas, New
Mexico, North Dakota, and Oregon. He was one of the founding
members of the American Society of Mammalogists and pioneered the
humane treatment of animals during fieldwork, developing and
patenting traps designed to limit injuries or unnecessary stress.
From an early age, Bailey developed an affinity for animals,
observing their behaviors and eventually collecting specimens for
closer study. He developed his own traps for catching mammals,
birds, and reptiles and taught himself taxidermy from a book. When
he was twenty-one, Bailey began sending samples of the animals he
preserved to C. H. Merriam, the chief of the newly created Division
of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy of the USDA, later renamed
the Bureau of Biological Survey and now the US Fish and Wildlife
Service. Merriam was so impressed with Baily's work that he hired
him, appointed him special field agent, and promptly sent him to
the "inner frontiers" of the western and southwestern United
States, despite the fact that Bailey had no formal training in
biology. During his long career, Bailey kept detailed field notes,
chronicling his travels and wildlife observations. These writings
provide fascinating insight into not only people's relationships
with and efforts to understand wildlife but also the ways the
country was rapidly growing and changing at the beginning of the
twentieth century.
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