Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Biographical/Historical note
Scope and Contents note
Arrangement note
Descriptive Summary
Title: Frank C. Clarke field notes
Identifier/Call Number: MVZA.MSS.0063
Contributing Institution:
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives
Language of Material:
English
Container: 1
Container: 2
Physical Description:
2.0 Volumes
Date (inclusive): 1912-1913
Abstract: The Frank C. Clarke Field Notes collection consists of field notes, specimen records, investigations, and some experiments
completed in California between 1912-1913.
Creator:
Clarke, Frank C., 1887-1958
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Access note
The collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
Frank C. Clarke Field Notes, MVZA.MSS.0063, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives, University of California, Berkeley.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted to the Museum of Vertebrate
Zoology Archives in writing for approval. Please contact the Museum Archivist for further information.
Biographical/Historical note
Frank C. Clarke was born in 1887 on the Clarke family ranch near Laytonville, Mendocino County, California. He graduated cum
laude from UC Berkeley in 1911 and earned his Master's degree in 1912 with a major in Entomology and Parasitology before returning
to the family ranch. For a short time Clarke accepted employment with the California Fish and Game Commission establishing
the skeletal differences between male and female deer. This information was later used to convict hunters who attempted to
pass off killed does as bucks.
Clarke worked to compile data on the working of his ranch, making him one of the leading authorities on brush clearance, wildlife
management, and range improvement. Working with his sheep flock, Clarke initiated breeding programs to improve their quality.
In addition, he developed a method of preparing a roll of fleece that became known among buyers as the best in California.
His fleeces also took championships in Chicago, Denver, Portland, and Texas wool shows of which Clarke was an early participant.
His dedication to the sheep industry eventually earned Clarke an election to the president of the California Wool Growers
Association.
Clarke began working with the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ) at the University of California at Berkeley during his time
at the University as a graduate student. During Clarke’s decades long relationship with the MVZ, he contributed 225 animal
samples and two volumes of field notes from wildlife surveys conducted within California.
Scope and Contents note
The Frank C. Clarke Field Notes collection consists of 2 bound volumes spanning the years 1912-1913. The notes include interviews,
mostly informal, of residents and visitors surrounding survey sites and species accounts from localities within California.
Consists primarily of investigations into deer populations and behavior with some attention to hunting and conservation. Some
of the field notes contain investigations and experiments on sick ducks in the Kings County area of Southern California. Investigations
and experiments include records of duck species numbers, dissections and post mortem examinations of sick ducks, as well as
experiments to determine the cause of sickness.
Arrangement note
The arrangement of the collection is chronological and in its original form. The sections are bound in the order presented
in this guide.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Anas carolinensis
Biology--Fieldwork
Birds Research
Blue-winged teal
Cataloging--Specimens.
Deer
Deer hunting
Deer--Ecology
Ducks
Ecology--California
Elk Behavior
Field notes
Interview collection
Mallard
Mule deer Behavior
Platalea
Research reports and papers
Scientific expeditions--California
University of California (1868-1952). Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
White-tailed deer Behavior
Zoology Experiments