from such waters have consistently contained 

 chlorinated orj^anic insecticide residues, and peli- 

 cans have suffered acute poisoning, resulting in 

 some mortality, in such locations after applica- 

 tion of specific insecticides to adjoining agricul- 

 tural lands. All pelicans examined to date have 

 had relatively high levels of clilorinated hydro- 

 carl)on residues present in body tissues. 



DDT in Antarctic anlnmh. — Six Adelie jjen- 

 guins and a crabeater seal collected in the Antarc- 

 tic by a Johns Hopkins cooperator in February 

 1%-i were analyzed and found to contain DDT and 

 its metabolites in amounts from 1.3 to 152 parts 

 per billion (wet weight) in fat and liver. Both 

 species had spent their entire lives in the Antarctic 

 and had fed on nonmigrating crustaceans and fish. 

 Quantities were determined by electron capture 

 gas chromatography. Identification was con- 

 firmed by thin-layer chromatography, witli re- 

 confimation by gas from material removed from 

 the thin-layer plates. Indentifications were also 

 confirmed in portions of the same samples sent to 

 an independent lalx)ratory. 



Songbird abitrulnnre and food in malathion- 

 treated forests. — A Denver Center survey of foods 

 eaten by songbirds at Tuolumne Meadows in 

 Yosemite National Park has shown that several 

 species could be affected by reduced food supplies 

 after insecticide treatments. 



Sharp-tailt'd grouse hatched and reared in captivity at 

 the Denver Center for use in studying tile effects of 

 pesticides on game girds. (Photo by Lowell McEwen) 



Pine siskins, mountain chickadees, Audubon 

 warblers, hermit thruslies, and wood pewees all fed 

 predominantly on insects; most stomaclis from 

 birds of these species contained 90 to 100 percent 

 insect material. On areas treated with malathion, 

 birds showed less abundance in postspraying cen- 

 sus than on comparable check areas. On sprayed 

 areas, birds decreased 74 percent 3 we«ks after 

 malathion applications, while on check areas num- 

 bers had decreased only 40 percent. Oregon 

 juncos, witli insect diets amounting to onh* 30 per- 

 cent, increased on botli areas, but were 50 percent 

 more abundant on treated areas. The normal 

 seasonal movements of various species clearly- in- 

 fluenced tlieir relative abundance on study areas, 

 but malathion applications undoubtedly reduced 

 available food, which appeared to restrict the 

 occurrence of insectivorous birds on treated lands. 



Surveillance of spruce huduiorm control pro- 

 gram,^. — Three spruce budwonn control projects 

 were under surveillance in 1964: (1) an applica- 

 tion of malathion at the rate of 0.75 Ib./gal. of 

 fuel oil per acre on 140,000 acres of the Lolo 

 National Forest in Montana; (2) a pilot-test ap- 

 plication of dimethoate at 4 omic^s per acre in 

 fuel oil on about 1,000 acres of the Salmon Na- 

 tional Forest in Idaho; and (3) an application 

 of DDT at 1 Ib./gal. of fuel oil per acre on 526,980 

 acres of the Salmon National Forest in Idaho. 



On the malathion-t reated area, the average nimi- 

 ber of birds seen per hour for 4 days before spray- 

 ing of 2 ridges was 19 and 20 ; and, for 3 consecu- 

 tive days after spraying, birds obser\'ed per hour 

 averaged 20 and 24. Also, Cotumix quail were 

 confined in an enclosure, subjected to the spray 

 application, and then shipped to the Denver Center 

 for obser\-ation. No effect of malathion at the 

 concentrations applied was observed on songbirds 

 or the confined Cotumix quail. 



In the pilot trial with dimetlioate, the average 

 number of birds seen per hour 4 days before and 5 

 days after spraying was 20 and 36, respectively. 

 Tlie increase was attributed to recruitment of 

 young birds into the population. No ill effects 

 from dimethoate were noted on fledglings obsen'ed 

 in nests 7 days after the dimethoate treatment. 



On the DDT-treated area, efforts were confined 

 to sampling and analyzing 4 species of vegeta- 

 tion collected from 6 or more plants at each of 

 10 sites before spraying, and at monthly intervals 

 for 3 months after spraying. Results showed that 

 wheatgrass (Agropyronsp.) contained the highest 



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