Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-123). Also available on the World Wide Web.

The study addresses five areas relating to the biology and management of common snipe (Capella gallinago), including habitat requirements, food habits , breeding biology, sexing and aging and census techniques. The primary habitat requirement of snipe was determined to be areas that were saturated or covered with shallow water . Secondary requirements were vegetation of less than 3 decimeters in height and between 30 and 50 percent density. Food habit studies determined that snipe selected animal material with larger and more abundant organisms being preferred without regard to species . Plant material appeared to be ingested only i r.cidentally. Common snipe u se winnowing as a courtship display, distraction device and a means of defining territory. Winnowing activity was most intense in periods of subdued light and cooler temperatures . A ground call emitted from a perch also was used to define territory . Snipe on the ground were observed to use the fanned, erect rectrices as a courtship display and as a distraction device. No new techniques were developed for externally sexing snipe and previously used techniques were unreliable. Using the presence of a faint black t erminal line on the rectrices as indication of an immature, 84. 5 percent of 58 snipes were correctly aged. A previously suggested method using the characteristics of the upper wing coverts correctly aged 84. 0 percent of snipe correctly. Discriminant functions developed for externally sexing and aging snipe are not considered reliable because of measurement difficulties and variations in samples. Strip census methods and capture- recapture techniques tested were not effective in estimating snipe populations . The use of average territory size divided into the amount of suitable habitat and actual counts resulted in reliable estimates of the population.

Bridges form a vital link in the physical infrastructure and must be maintained in a "safe working order" at all times. It is estimated that there are currently 20,000 timber road bridges in service throughout Australia. Increasing demands on these bridges due to heavier and faster moving loads, together with deterioration are placing these aging structures at a higher risk of collapse. Unfortunately, many local governments and government departments have neglected the benefits of preventative maintenance and have opted for "just in time" repairs. This is especially true for timber bridges. This past neglect has placed bridge stock in a poor state that is only now being recognised as a significant problem. A key component of this research is to develop improvements to this current situation. This research thesis generates detailed knowledge on the load carrying capacities of timber bridges and new non destructive testing techniques that can be substituted for conventional testing procedures. For the first time guidelines have been developed for undertaking capacity assessment on timber bridges by specifying intervention levels for notched timber and limiting maximum allowable strains in timber members. This newly acquired knowledge will enable Asset Managers to more accurately determine the capacity of sniped timber bridge girders to enable appropriate retrofitting and maintenance while also allowing the safe movement of heavy vehicles. The knowledge generated through destructive testing of timber girders and the analysis of the vast amount of experimental data has enabled the first instance of developing specifications for replacement girders. These specifications detail both functional and performance related targets for three different types of replacement girders. Testing of these replacement girders also demonstrates that through some minor modifications that the specification targets can be met. The outcomes of this thesis provide an innovative approach to accessing the condition and capacity of timber girders and to increasing the safety and life of timber bridges in Queensland. By using new techniques such as Non-destructive testing, species identification and limiting maximum allowable strains, as described in this thesis, the road transport network can be safety used by heavy and permit vehicles. It is only through the effective management of timber bridge maintenance and rehabilitation that Australia can have an efficiently running road transportation network.

In Scandinavian languages there are many popular bird names, most of which have been recorded in the dialect archives in the Nordic countries. The thesis concentrates on the bird names for snipes, i.e. the common snipe, the great snipe, the jacksnipe and the woodcook, in all approx. 330 different names. Some of these are recognized throughout Scandinavia, while others are only sparsely confirmed in single dialects. An especially large number of names refer to the common snipe, mainly due to its typical vibrating sound. Since the sound resembles a certain unobtrusive whinny from a horse or bleat from a goat or a sheep, many of the names contain words associating to these animals. Names describing a creaking sound mostly refer to the woodcock. Fairly common are names describing the protruding beak, a characteristic feature of all snipes. In order to give a complete semantic and etymological picture, all words forming part of the names have been identified and sorted by category, i.e. words indicating a common implicit meaning. The categories in turn have been divided into two main groups: words describing different sounds, and words describing visual impressions. In addition, names describing popular beliefs and those transferred from other bird species are presented. Factors that influence origin, formation, existence and development of bird names have been considered. With the etymological discussion forming the necessary background, ethnological aswell as cultural influences complete the picture of the naming process. Man's need for identification and classification of phenomena in his environment as well as the presence vs. lack of affect are important factors in the process. As is shown, a striking sound along with a particular appearence has inspired many affected popular names, while scientific names largely refer to visual, non-affected impressions. Due to man's present lack of everyday connection with nature many of the popular bird names presented are no longer in use. However, some of the names prove to be fairly young, which shows that the process of popular classification and naming is still a functioning part of our language and culture. / <p>Doktorsavhandling vid Uppsala universitet, 1996.</p>