Dean, W.R.J.

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1975 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 217 &: Inger (1957) observation that M. q. mmgaritifer lays 10 eggs under stones or logs and that the species may lay communally. The reference does not cite a country for the Schmidt &: Inger observations but as these workers were active in Zaire for some time;, it is safe to asswne that Fitch had this territory in mind. However, in the light of the current observations from Zululand it would seem that the species is in fact oviparous throughout its range. Finally, G. Setaro and I. Knezovich inform me that another Mabuya at Durban, as yet with-out precise identity, is oviparous. On geographical and other considerations this species will prob-ably prove to be either M. varia (peters) or M. striata (peters). TYTO ALBA PREY IN SOUTH WEST AFRICA AND THE NORTHERN CAPE W. R. 1. DEAN Barberspan Ornithological Research Statum, Western Transvaal Ten collections of barn owl (Tyto alba) pellets from four localities in South West Africa and four collections from three localities in the nor-thern Cape have been analyzed. Localities of tho bam owl roosts and pellet collection sites are listed below. South West A/rica 1. 25 km east of Windhoek. 22°32'S/17°16'E. Roost in a cave in mica schist. 30 April 1972. 2. Valencia Ranch, Friedenthal district. 23°IO'S/ 16°25'E. Roost in a cave in mica schist. 23 May 1973. 3. Gamsberg. 23°15'S/16°24'E. Roost in a deser-ted house in a river valley. Surrounding habi-tat mainly steep hillsides with Acacia erube-scens. 18 April 1973. REFERENCES DUFAURE, 1. P. &: HUBERT, 1. 1961. Table de d6veloppement du lezard vivipare: Lacerta (Zootoca) vivipara Jacquin. Archs Anat. Microsc. Morph. expo 50:309-328. FITCH, HENRY S. 1970. Reproductive cycles in lizards and snakes. Univ. Kans. Pubis Mus. nat. Hist. 52:1-247. FITZSIMONS, V. M. 1943. The lizards of South Africa. Transv. Mus. Mem. 1 :xv + 528. PIENAAR, U. DE V. 1966. The reptile fauna of the Kruger National Park. Koetioe, 1966:1: 1-223. SCHMIDT, K. P. & INGER, R. F. 1957. Living reptiles 0/ the world. Hamish Hamilton, London. 4. Gochas. 24°30'S/18°32'E. This is the same locality as Vernon's (1972) locality 13. Seven collections made between 16 July 1972 and 4 August 1973. Northern Cape 5. HeuningvJei. 26°17'S/23°14'E. Roost in a cave in banded ironstone. 22 March 1973. 6. Kingston, Kimberley district. 28°43'S/24°12'E. Roost in an old well in mixed Acacia tortilis, A. mellifera and Tarchonanthus camphoratus scrub. 11 July 1972 and 7 April 1973. 7. Marrick, Kimberley district. 28°SO'S/24°15'E. Roost in an old well in mature Acacia tortilis woodland. 10 July 1972. Notes on the prey species Suncus varilla. This small shrew bas not been recorded in the Kimberley area although Meester &: Lambrechts (1971) give 'north eastern Cape' in their distribution notes on Suncus varilla orangiae (Roberts). The UTR (the only measurement that could be taken due to cranial damage on the pellet specimens) of the Kimberley material averages Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2010). 218 ZOOLOGICA AFRICANA VOL 10 TABLE 1 Prey of Tyto alba Collection site Species 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mammals SIIIICUS varilla 25 2 Crocidura huta 7 17 Crocidura (cyanea group) 16 3 1 20 18 I Crocidura bicolor 2 1 1 15 I Elephantulus rupestru 3 3 Elephantulus intuji 9 Tadarida bocagei 2 19 Eptiscus capensis 1 Cryptomys sp. 9 Otomys sp. 2 lkfalacothrLr typica 27 3 32 5 Steatomys sp. 2 12 1 2 Desmodillus auricularis 9 2 112 6 12 I Tatera sp. 4 44 4 154 21 79 7 Gerbil/us paeba 2 742 21 25 I Saccostomus campestris 1 3 15 lkfus minutoides 3 16 2 41 1 241 6 Praomys nata/ensis 6 25 2 Rhabdomys pumilio 2 18 5 7 Aethomys namOlluensis 2 95 32 4 13 5 Thallomys paedulcus 1 6 3 1 Birds lkflra/ra sabota 2 lkfira/ra sp. I Sporopipes squamifrons 1 3 1 Ploceus velatus 3 Unidentified birds 11 2 4 I Lizards 3 8 2 4 Frogs 1 I Arthropods • • • • • • Total vertebrate prey animals 30 203 53 1133 126 538 29 • Present in pellets but not quantified. Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2010). 1975 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 219 6,9 mm (range 6,5-7,2 mm; S.D. 0,117; n = 19). This is larger than the mean of 6,6 mm (range 6,0-7,1 mm) given by Meester & Lambrechts (1971) for S. v. varilla. The difference in means is statistically significant (Students t test, Simpson, Roe & Lewontin, 1960; t = 2,07; p < 0,05). S. v. orangiae is regarded as a smaller race than nominate S. v. varilla and the similarly sized race S. 1'. warreni Roberts that oa:urs in the north western Cape Province. The possibility of a larser race of S. varilla in the northern Cape must be considered and the eventual examination of a series of specimens from the area may prove interesting. Tadarida bocagei. Bats are sel dom taken by barn owls. Vernon (1972) recorded Bocages free-tailed bat in diets of bam owls at two locali ties, both cliff roost sites. It is interesting that so many free..tailed bats were taken at the Heuningvlei roost site and this is probably the owls' exploita-tion oflocally abundant species. POSSIBLE STIMULI FOR SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR IN THREE SPECIES OF FRESHWATER FISH J. HATTINGH at N. COBTZEE Department of Zoology, RaNi Afrikaans University. Johannesburg Social behaviour in fish is manifested in many situations and one form. of this phenomenon is especially interesting. Some species of fish have the tendency to form. schools or to clump to-gether. According to authorities on fish behaviour these fish either maintain a remarkably constant geometric orientation to their fellows or merely live in close proximity to their kind (Shaw 1962). The first situation is referred to as schooling, and the second has no specific nomenclature but could be termed clumping. The essential differ-ence is that schooling fishes swim together, feed, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, for the opportunity to colled this material. I thank T. N. Pocock and Professor 1. Meester for comments on a draft of this note. REFERENCES MI!I!STI!R, 1. & LAMBRECHTS, A. VON W. 1971. The southern African species of SII1U:US Ehren-berg (Mammalia: Soricidae). Ann. Transvaal Mus. 27:1-14. S1MPSON, G. G., ROE, A. & LEWONIlN, R. c. 1960. Qumrtitative Zoology. Harcourt, Brace & World: New York. VERNON, C. 1. 1972. An analysis of owl pellets collected in southern Africa. Ostrich 43: 109-124. approach, tum and flee together and do not have leaders (Shaw 1962). Qumping fish on the other hand, mostly come together only when startled, otherwise feeding and swimming on their own. The potential adaptive advantages of schooling or clumping are many (Shaw 1962). The stimuli necessary for this behaviour, however, remain obscure. Kcen1eyside (1955) showed that vision is crucial in maintaining schools of fish and that blinding may eliminate this response (Pristel/Q). Shaw (1962) found that fish of similar size school, that a head-to-tail approach is important and that movement outweighs colour and species as far as visual stimuli are concerned (Mellldla). Apparently the lateral line organs are important in this respect. Hearing, taste and smell are not regarded as effective stimuli by Shaw, but according to Goz (1941) the nasal sacs are important in schooling in non-predatory fish (Phoxinus and Gobla). In an effort to obtain further information on this behaviour in fish, three species of fresh-water teleosts were investigated with regard to body shape and odour and preliminary results Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2010). 

Tyto alba prey in South West Africa and the Northern Cape

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Tyto alba prey in South West Africa and the Northern Cape

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