Abstract: Der Autor beschreibt die Verwendung und den Werdegang des Pferdes im Militärwesen während der letzten 4000 Jahre – beginnend bei den Hethitern im 17. Jahrhundert vor Christus bis nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg... Aus dem Inhalt: Einleitung, Streitwagen und Pferdebogner, Von Xenophon bis Mohammed, Ritterschaft und Mongolenheere, Von den Hussiten bis zu den Budjonnyreitern, Literatur, Sachwortregister

Abstract: An understanding of patterns of leadership during grazing movements is important where the management of grazing cattle is concerned. This paper describes the leadership displayed by grazing cattle by recording the spatial relationship (grazing style) among herd members as the group progressed slowly through a field. Grazing style was divided into “A”, “B” and “C”, meaning following, independence and leading, respectively. The results revealed the following features: (1) the frequency distributions of grazing style and grazing formation used by the herd varied with the seasons; (2) the individual animal variation in grazing style did not fundamentally change with the seasons; (3) there was negative linear correlation between Styles A and C and between Styles A and B. The more any cow followed the grazing movement, the less likely it was to lead the grazing movement or to be independent. Styles C and B tended to be positively related; (4) high, medium and low ranking animals in social dominance showed tendencies to behave in Styles C, A and B, respectively; (5) grazing style and weight gain were not clearly related; (6) the cows that tended to lead, be independent or follow less, tended to get out of their paddocks. The observations suggested (1) that the leader-follower-independent relationship, although modified in each season, did not vary fundamentally, (2) that the active movement of high ranking animals and the independent movement of low ranking animals governed the voluntary formation in grazing, and (3) that as grazing cattle that behaved in a single group and did not escape from their paddock were much easier to manage, the grazing style that expressed these characteristics was one of the significant indices for management of grazing cattle.

Abstract: The African wild ass is endangered. Its habitat is a drought-stricken war zone; its flesh is eaten and is believed to cure hepatitis; it is eagerly sought by dealers and collectors. The author, Chief Curator at Israel's Hai-Bar reserve, examines the problems hindering the conservation of this animal and explains why it is urgently necessary to list it on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora at its meeting in April 1983.

Abstract: (1) The distribution of excreta on areas of reseeded grassland in the New Forest used by free-ranging cattle, ponies and fallow deer was shown to be non-random. Distinct latrine areas were recognized where the faeces of all three herbivore species were concentrated, and where the majority of urinations occurred. The mosaic of latrine and non-latrine areas can be detected in aerial photographs in which non-latrine areas appear as light-grey patches set in a matrix of the dark grey latrine areas. During the 3 years of the study the position of the mosaic proved to be relatively stable. (2) The latrine areas were characterized by an uneven sward about 50 mm tall with abundant thistles (Cirsium spp.) and ragwort (Senecio jacobaea). Non-latrine areas had an even and very closely cropped sward between 10 and 20 mm tall. Soil chemical analysis of the two kinds of area revealed significantly higher levels of exchangeable potassium in latrine areas, and on one site significantly higher levels of magnesium and organic matter. No significant differences were detected in soil reaction, nor in phosphorus or calcium levels. (3) Observations of grazing animals revealed a tendency, at all times of year, for ponies to avoid grazing in latrine areas. In winter and spring this tendency was very slight, but from midsummer until late autumn a substantial majority of grazing ponies were to be found in non-latrine areas. In contrast, only 2% of the cattle observations made over a period of 20 months were of animals grazing in non-latrine areas. (4) The standing crop of dung and the rate of dung production on the two kinds of area were monitored for 12 months on one lawn. The amount of pony dung produced on non-latrine areas was only 16.5% of that in latrine areas, while for cattle the corresponding value was 28.7%. It is argued that the observed pattern has been created by selective grazing and eliminatory behaviour of the ponies, and that the excreta of cattle and deer are largely confined to pony latrine areas because these animals are unable to graze the very short herbage of non-latrine areas.