A New Subspecies of Wood Rat from Colorado

Finley, Robert B.Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.3

Word count: 17K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A New Subspecies of Wood Rat (Neotoma mexicana) from Colorado by Robert B. FinleyAuthor: Finley, Robert B.,Language: English, Class: QL: Science: Zoology, Release Date: Feb 1, 2010

Editor's review

This is a short zoological taxonomy paper describing and arguing for a new subspecies of the Mexican woodrat (Neotoma mexicana) from Colorado. Its value lies not in popular readability but in offering a concrete, complete specimen of taxonomic writing: how to pose a question, how to compare specimen traits, and how to establish the legitimacy of a new subspecies within an existing classification framework. The prose follows the conventions of traditional zoological papers, with high terminology density and a large proportion of data and measurement description; readers need some background in mammal taxonomy to follow it smoothly. As a public-domain ebook, it is best used as a small case study in the history of science and taxonomic method—for example, cited as an example in discussions of mid-twentieth-century surveys of North American small mammal fauna. The reading scenario leans toward desk reference or focused study rather than casual reading. For general readers, its significance is more about demonstrating the rigor and restraint of scientific argumentation than about providing vivid stories.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students in zoology or taxonomy who need to observe the writing paradigm of a short taxonomic paper
Professionals studying the fauna and subspecies division of North American small mammals, for reference comparison
Enthusiasts of the history of science interested in mid-twentieth-century natural history and taxonomic research methods
Library or science outreach staff needing a public-domain zoological text as a resource holding

Not a good fit for

General readers hoping for popular nature stories or animal anecdotes
Beginner readers lacking a biology background and unfamiliar with taxonomic terminology
Parents seeking richly illustrated, lively children's science books

Reading tips

Read the opening and conclusion first to grasp the naming basis and diagnostic features of the new subspecies, then return to the measurement data.
While reading, consult existing classification materials on the genus Neotoma to understand the morphological criteria used to divide subspecies.
Excerpt the specimen localities and trait descriptions into a brief table for later horizontal comparison with similar literature.
If using it only as a methodological reference, focus on analyzing its argumentative structure and skip the specific measurement values.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this text suitable for someone without a biology background?

Not very. The text makes extensive use of taxonomic terminology, specimen measurement data, and morphological descriptions, creating considerable resistance for readers without background knowledge. If you are merely curious, you might first learn the basics of the genus Neotoma, then skim the conclusion.

Is it a complete book or a single study?

From the material, this is a single zoological research paper published as an ebook, focused on the description of one new subspecies, limited in length, and not a systematic monograph. It is suitable as topical material rather than a systematic textbook.

Why would this kind of research text appear on a public-domain ebook platform?

Project Gutenberg has long collected texts that have entered the public domain, including many early academic publications. Such texts are thus freely accessible for research and teaching citation, but the platform itself does not update or review their scholarly conclusions.

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About the author

Finley, Robert B. Author

Robert B. Finley is a scholar engaged in the taxonomic study of small mammals. Public information about him is limited, and details of his life, such as nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background, are not clearly documented. Two works can currently be confirmed, both descriptive papers in animal taxonomy: one reports a new subspecies of wood rat from Colorado, and the other describes a new piñon mouse from Durango, Mexico. His research thus focuses on the subspecies division and morphological identification of rodents in North America and Central America, with results consisting mainly of the naming and description of new taxonomic units, published in the field of small mammal taxonomy. Such work provides basic material for later regional faunal compilations and surveys of species diversity, and has some academic reference value.