QUAIL. AND PHEASANT STUDIES IN AN ORCHARD COUNTY 
Frank C. Bellrose, Jr.* 
Illinois Natural History Survey 
In the summer of 1938, nesting studies and population 
estimates were made of quail and pheasants in the lower third of 
Calhoun County, Illinois. While some cruising of orchards and hay 
fields was undertaken to locate nests, most of the information on 
which these studies are based was obtained by interviewing farmers, 
during haying operations, in the field. Data were obtained on the 
number of acres of various farm crops, dates of mowing of forage 
crops, and number of quail and pheasant nests found. 
These studies were extensive rather than intensive and 
were designed to shed some light on choice of nesting cover, nest- 
ing losses due to mowing, and relative density of quail and pheas- 
anes in one of the better Illinois quail counties. It is well 
known that farmers engaged in cutting operations often overlook the 
nests of upland game birds, but the number of such nests overlooked 
in Calhoun County is thought to be less than in most other parts of 
the Middle West because of the small fields and the scarcity of 
tractor-drawn mowers and rakes in this county. 
Calhoun County consists principally of a long, narrow 
strip of rolling land between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, 
extending about 40 miles from north to south, with an average width 
of 8 miles. Underlying the surface soil is a narrow limestone ridge, 
elevated 200 to 500 feet above the rivers and flanked on either side 
by their alluyial bottoms. Over this limestone ridge: have been de- 
posited materials of the Quaternary Period, consisting of clays, 
Bpravel and loess, which cover ‘the ridge to a depth of 50 to 100 feet. 
Formerly heavily forested with oaks, hickories and maples, 
the upland area has been cleared of most of its native stand and 
planted to apples, hay crops and grains. However, small woodlots 
abound, and brushy fencerows and roadsides are the rule rather than 
the exception. These form an ideal interspersion of cover types. 
Little corn is grown, but an excellent supply of the lesser. ragweed 
and other natural foods exists along fencerows, woodlots, roadsides, 
ereek banks and elsewhere. 
“The writer is indebted to Arthur S. Hawkins, who super- 
Vised this study, giving many helpful suggestions and criticisms. 
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