The recent wars in the DR Congo have led to a marked upsurge in both elite and popular discourse and violence around belonging and exclusion, expressed through the vernacular of "autochthony." Dangerously flexible in its politics, nervous and paranoid in its language, unmoored from geographic or ethnocultural specificity, borrowing energy both from present conflicts and deep-seated mythologies of the past, the idea of autochthony has permitted comparatively localized instances of violence in the DRC to inscribe themselves upward into regional, and even continental logics, with dangerous implications for the future. This article analyzes how the "local"/"stranger" duality of autochthony/allochthony expresses itself in the DRC through rumors, political tracts, and speeches and how it draws energy from imprecise overlaps with other powerful, preexisting identity polarities at particular scales of identity and difference: local, provincial, national, regional. Across each, autochthony operates as a loose qualifier, a binary operator: autochthony is adjectival, relational rather than absolute, policing a distinction between in and out, and yet not indicating, in itself, which in/out distinction is intended. Thus many speak of "Sons of the Soil," but of which soil, precisely? The slipperiness between different scales of meaning permits the speaker to leave open multiple interpretations. This indefiniteness is a paradoxical source of the discourse's strength and weakness, suppleness and nervousness, its declarative mood and attendant paranoia.Resume: Les guerres recentes en republique democratique du Congo ont engendre une insurrection marquee dans les discours a la fois de l'elite et du peuple et une violence autour des questions d'appartenance et d'exclusion, exprimees a travers le discours vernaculaire de l'identite "autochtone." La notion d' "autochtonie," dangereusement flexible politiquement, nerveuse et paranoiaque dans son langage, degagee de toute specificite geographique et ethnoculturelle, utilisant l'energie de conflits a la fois presents et des mythologies profondement ancrees dans le passe, a permis des eclats de violence tres localises comparativement en RDC, s'inscrivant dans une logique regionale et meme continentale avec des implications dangereuses pour l'avenir. Cet article analyse comment les dualites "locaux/etrangers" et "autochtones/allogenes" s'expriment en RDC a travers des rumeurs, des tracts politiques, des discours, et comment elles tirent leur vitalite d'assimilation avec d'autres polarites identitaires puissantes et preexistantes sur des echelles particulieres des notions d'identite et de difference: au niveau local, provincial, national, regional. A chaque niveau, l'autochtonie opere comme un qualifiant vague, un operateur binaire: la notion d'autochtonie est adjectivale, relative plutot qu'absolue, regentant une distinction entre l'interieur et l'exterieur, sans pour autant specifier, en elle-meme, sur quelle distinction "interieur/exterieur" elle opere. Beaucoup parlent alors de "fils d...

The gliding angle of the Mahogany Glider Petaurus gracilis and the Sugar Glider Petaurus breviceps was determined from field studies by measuring the height of launch and landing of glides and the distance travelled. This showed no significant difference between these two species in glide ratio, which averaged 1.91 and 1.82 m distance per 1 m loss in altitude, respectively, nor in glide angle which averaged 28.26° and 29.69° for the Mahogany Glider and Sugar Glider, respectively. Significant differences were found between them for height of launch (19.75 and 11.96 m, respectively), height of landing (4.48 and 1.95 m, respectively), diameter at breast height of landing tree (44.12 and 23.22 cm, respectively), and glide distance (29.71 and 20.42 m, respectively). An examination of the ratio of interorbital width to maximum skull width of gliding and nongliding possums was measured from museum skulls to examine whether gliders have eyes wider apart, to allow triangulation of distance in preparation for gliding. Gliding possums showed a trend toward having a larger interorbital width than nongliding possums, although there appear to be several factors acting on the interorbital width. Museum study skins of all gliding marsupials were measured to determine the relationship between patagium surface area and body mass which showed a clear relationship (r2 = 0.9688). A comparison of gliding behaviour, patagium, development of limbs, tail morphology and mass was also made between gliding marsupials and other gliding mammals.

The taxonomic identity and status of the Australian Dingo has been unsettled and controversial since its initial description in 1792. Since that time it has been referred to by various names including Canis dingo, Canis lupus dingo, Canis familiaris and Canis familiaris dingo. Of these names C. l. dingo and C. f. dingo have been most often used, but it has recently been proposed that the Australian Dingo should be once again recognized as a full species-Canis dingo. There is an urgent need to address the instability of the names referring to the Dingo because of the consequences for management and policy. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the morphological, genetic, ecological and biological data to determine the taxonomic relationships of the Dingo with the aim of confirming the correct scientific name. The recent proposal for Canis dingo as the most appropriate name is not sustainable under zoological nomenclature protocols nor based on the genetic and morphological evidence. Instead we proffer the name C. familiaris for all free-ranging dogs, regardless of breed and location throughout the world, including the Australian Dingo. The suggested nomenclature also provides a framework for managing free-ranging dogs including Dingoes, under Australian legislation and policy. The broad principles of nomenclature we discuss here apply to all free-roaming dogs that coexist with their hybrids, including the New Guinea Singing Dog.