Greater Roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus) are common, poorly studied birds of arid and semi‐arid ecosystems in the southwestern United States. Conservation of this avian predator requires a detailed understanding of their movements and spatial requirements that is currently lacking. From 2006 to 2009, we quantified home‐range and core area sizes and overlap, habitat selection, and survival of roadrunners (N= 14 males and 20 females) in north‐central Texas using radio‐telemetry and fixed kernel estimators. Median home‐range and core‐area sizes were 90.4 ha and 19.2 ha for males and 80.1 ha and 16.7 ha for females, respectively. The size of home range and core areas did not differ significantly by either sex or season. Our home range estimates were twice as large (x̄= 108.9 ha) as earlier published estimates based on visual observations (x̄= 28–50 ha). Mean percent overlap was 38.4% for home ranges and 13.7% for core areas. Male roadrunners preferred mesquite woodland and mesquite savanna cover types, and avoided the grass‐forb cover type. Female roadrunners preferred mesquite savanna and riparian woodland cover types, and avoided grass‐forb habitat. Kaplan‐Meier annual survival probabilities for females (0.452 ± 0.118[SE]) were twice that estimated for males (0.210 ± 0.108), but this difference was not significant. Mortality rates of male roadrunners were higher than those of females during the spring when males call from elevated perches, court females, and chase competing males. Current land use practices that target woody‐shrub removal to enhance livestock forage production could be detrimental to roadrunner populations by reducing availability of mesquite woodland and mesquite savanna habitat required for nesting and roosting and increasing the amount of grass‐forb habitat that roadrunners avoid.

We determined a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method to identify the sex of greater roadrunners (Geococcyx californianus). We found that previously reported primer combinations used in other bird species did not work reliably in roadrunners. However, a novel primer combination (P2-1237L) allowed for consistent and reliable sex identification of roadrunners. Conducting several PCR replicates per sample helped to identify occasional preferential amplification of the Z band that could occur in females (the heterogametic sex; i.e., WZ). Identifying the sex of individuals will allow for examination of sex-associated differences in home range size and habitat use, population demographics, and parenting behavior, as well as for a better understanding of the social system of roadrunners.

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PU in any manner, whatsoever, disseminate typhoid lever infection. All physicians, hospitals, or those liav-J"g supervision over typhoid case or cases, should sys¬ tematize their records in such a manner that carriers ¡Uay be traced, isolated, and cared for until such a time as they may be free from typhoid bacilli. 40U Fourth Avenue.ABSTRACT OP DISCUSSION ON PAPERS BY 1)118. DUTTON AND FELL Bit. 11. W. Hill, Minneapolis; Dr. Dutton spoke very strongly about the question of typhoid from wells. I cannot »peak for any other state than Minnesota, but 1 know that typhoid from wells is very uncommon in that state, probably°r tlie reason that the character of the soil is such that the roiitainination is filtered out before it readies the well. Our nral typhoid is practically never from wells in our state. ur well typhoid has been, as a rule, from the public wells ' large communities infected very seriously with pollution various kinds carried directly into them.'hi. c. Hampson Jones, Baltimore: Baltimore is consider-"y interested in the control of typhoid fever. In a résumé , the subject for a period of four years, which was published 11 our annual report of 11107, 1 mentioned the ten possible ources of typhoid fever in the city. Contrary to many excel-'"' authorities, I believe that a great deal of our fever comes ''"m the pollution of the water supply. The characters of the Outbreak of typhoid fever duo to milk infection are so peculiar, *°c learly defined, that it is quite easy, I think, for us to detect practically every milk outbreak. In one there were ''' cases on 0]le man'g rnilk route; in another about 58 cases, ' "d there were three or four others, which fortunately were eoked in the very beginning of the outbreak, which produced uy a few cases. We have followed out also the typhoid 'Ul'iers) and we have had two very interesting cases. One ,ls ni a home for young women. The woman in charge of the Pantry-0f ilie f00dstuffs-was "discovered to be a typhoid lîi'iî'1' i,lto1' there had baen fourteen eases of typhoid fever ¡||f ,s place. We excluded the possibility of the milk being «ct,e,p ,1|1(| ajg0 £ne wal(,,. BUpply in that special locality.• «stokes, our bacteriologist, followed out two carriers lately ' convent where there was a laundry; in it were a large Wo "' oolored girls. Two sisters in charge of the girls « the carriers, and the curious and interesting part of it t» i • there were two distinct outbreaks-one of para-P. Old fever and the other of pure typhoid. One sister was Car ' r°'^'u' typhoid organisms; the other sister was the cas j°^* 'le paratyphoid; the children associated with each ni' ii Velop<"d typhoid fever according to the sister in oharge them.Brei ''mol'