MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
T. G. Scott, Editor 
Urbana, I Uinoi s 
August 1958 
Vol. 1, No. 8 
W-30-R-12 W. R. Hanson, R. F. Labisky 
The standardized pheasant brood counts conducted on the Sibley area 
in July and August indicated an increase in brood production when compared to 
the 1957 counts. The number of broods observed along 720 miles of roadside 
transect increased from 197 broods in 1957 to 2I46 broods in 1958, or 2ii.9 per 
cent. The mean age of broods during the last week of August was 8.2 weeks, 
which indicates that the peak of nest hatching in 1958 occurred during late 
June and early July, Although brood size data for 1958 have not been analyzed, 
the mean number of chicks per brood is probably lower than that of 1956 or 
1957. The smaller brood size in 1958 probably reflects high chick mortality 
caused by unusually heavy rains during the major hatching periods of June and 
July. 
W-U2-R-8 R. D. Lord 
The August sample of rabbits showed a prevalence of pregnancy of 0.65, 
nearly 10 per cent higher than that of last year. The average litter size was 
5.U, slightly higher than that of last year. In spite of a drop in reproduction 
that occurred at the time of our heavy mid-summer rains, reproduction was 21 
per cent higher this year than last year. 
The night-time and early morning roadside censuses on the Sibley study 
area are showing the same trends month for month that they did last year. There 
were no marked differences between numbers seen per mile in August this year 
as compared with last year. However in early summer, May, June and July, censuses 
did indicate a higher population this year over last year. 
W-55-R-3 
F. Bellrose 
This project was inactive during August. 
W-56-R-3 G. Sanderson, K. Johnson 
Live-trapping was continued for a limited period during August on the 
Allerton Park Study Area in Piatt County. Eight raccoon captures were made. 
Three were young-of-the-year females, one was an adult female and two were 
OCT 9 1959 
NATURAL 
HISTORY SURVEY 
