94 Game Survey of the North Central States 



Reports during the summer of 1929, when the survey was made, indicated 

 full recovery in the south half of Wisconsin, but it is understood that later reports 

 during the hunting season were less favorable. The 1930 crop also appears short. 

 In the southwestern part of the State the 1928 mortality seems to have 

 occurred suddenly during the late fall and early winter months, many dead 

 rabbits having been found by game wardens. The non-fatal sickness in the 

 southeast, in so far as its date could be determined, was also in December. 



Mortality in excess of 50 per cent also occurred in the Kankakee region of 

 northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana during 1928, but did not occur else- 

 where over any large areas in Missouri, Illinois, or Indiana. In Kankakee County, 

 Illinois, the disease started in October, 1928. Many sick rabbits were caug'ht 

 there by boys during the winter of 1928-29. Further east in Indiana the short- 

 age started as early as 1925, and was still prevalent in 1929. 



This 1928 cottontail shortage came one year later than the lowest point of 

 the general cyclic depression in northern grouse, which all agree was in 1927. 



In at least some localities where cottontail and snowshoe overlap, the de- 

 pression in the two species does not coincide. Thus A. E. Doolittle, superin- 

 tendent of the Peninsular State Park, Door County, Wisconsin, states that snow- 

 shoes were scarce in Door County since 1925, but cottontails continued fairly 

 plentiful until 1928. Oconto County snowshoes are said to have been fairly 

 numerous near Mountain in 1928, but cottontails nearly absent. 



The study of history of cottontail shortages in Missouri showed quite con- 

 clusively that cottontail shortages are never Statewide. This conclusion is based 

 on the statistics of the rabbit meat industry already given, and on the fact that 

 of about 100 observers, 11 especially competent ones could not remember any 

 shortage in their localities. 



The evidence further indicated that the duration of Missouri shortages is 

 usually only one year. Of 21 observers, only two remembered shortages that 

 lasted for more than one year. 



The severity of the Missouri shortages is indicated by the stippled sectors 

 of circles on the map. These agree substantially with those from Wisconsin, 

 Indiana, and Ohio, in indicating a maximum severity of 90 per cent below 

 "normal." 



The distribution of Missouri shortages is apparently always very spotty. 

 Several specific counties were found where short and normal crops existed in close 

 proximity during 1929. The short spots were too small to be felt by the rabbit 

 markeq. 



Shortages in Missouri were traced as far back as 1891 (Monroe County). 

 Bogardus mentions one in Logan County, Illinois, lasting from about 1870 to 

 1874. (See Map 9.) 



The conclusions from these local and superficial compilations of second- 

 hand evidence can be pieced together only by the addition of a good deal of 

 purely personal conjecture. My guess is that: 



