MONTHLY W] ID LIFE RESEARCH LET TCI 
Vol. 2, No, u 
Pkge 3 
During the first lj months of 1953, 11 sick end dead raccoons also were 
received from Edwards, Edgar, Gallatin, Morgan, Wayne, and Piatt counties, 
I'hirt^er of these ware checked for lead and without exception they showed lead 
present rangir* from U up to 2t nicrograms por gram of liver. Six also had 
pneumonia and six did not. In some cases lung flukes and round wormo appeared 
♦o ha involved In the pneumonia. Condition factors for these animals, which 
wore sick or dead when found, indicate that they were in poor physical condition, 
Thr adrenal-body weight ratios also Indicate that they were under severe stress. 
They showed symptoms that are typical of lead poisoning, but as indicated above, 
lead is probably not the whole answer, lead may be carried In the body with 
little apparent harm until the animal meets with semo unusual stress factor such 
as starvation, low calcium or phosphorus diet, disease or Infection, or any one 
of a number of other factors. 
Sick and dead raccoons have been obtained for autopsy during the past 
5 months with greater regularity then at any other tine during the pest 10 years 
of wcrl ing with raccoons. 
W-hl-k-2 F, Qrecley, J, Ellis 
Fifty-nine nen pheasants were subjected to diets containing different 
amounts of calcium for the purpose of determining what effects different levels 
of calclim may exert on ph ea s ants. From March 17 to April 12, all birds were 
fed a mash containing a high level of calcium (2.3b per cent). Nine birds, 
representing pre-experiment control, were autopsiod on April 12 and their leg 
hones saved for determination of per cent of ash. The remaining birds were 
divided Into five groups, and these groups were given respectively 0,37, 0,63, 
1.09, 2.01, and 2.31* per cent of calclim in their diets. Laying of eggs had 
started in seven of the ten pens by April 13 and In nine of the ten pen# by 
April 15. Fy April 17, egga had been produced by same hens in ill ten pens. 
The rate of egg production was influenced by the amount, of calciim in 
the diet, table 1, From April 13-23, hens given 0,63 or 1,09 per cent of calcium 
produced oggs at about 2.5 times the rate of those on 0,37 per cent) and hens 
on 2.01 and 2,3L per cent of calcium produced eggs at a rate about L times the 
rate of those hens given the least calcium. 
By April 23, the hens with the lowest calcium diet had nearly oaa»d 
laying eggs, and half of the birds on each diet were killed for bone-ecti determi¬ 
nation, The remaining birds continued to display the effects of different 
amounts of calclim in their diets on egg production, table 1« Mary eggs from 
i^ens on the t«*> lowest levels of calclim produced eggs with very thin shells) 
e&rs of this quality would scarcely be expected to survive incubation in the wil4« 
