\lo \. 6, No. 10 
Page 2 
Table 1. Fate of pheasant nests established on seeded and control roadside plots 
along 7 miles of roadway, Sibley Study Area, 1963* Numbers of nests are in paren 
theses. 
Percentages 
Fate of Nests 
Seeded Plots 
Control Plots 
Hatched 
39 (17) 
17 ( 7) 
Abandoned 
11(5) 
37 (15) 
Abandoned and/or destroyed by 
Mammalian predators 
3 1 * 05) 
39 (16) 
Avian predators 
5 ( 2) 
0 ( 0) 
Farm machinery 
2 ( 1) 
0 ( 0) 
Humans 
2 ( 1) 
0 ( 0) 
Unknown causes 
7 ( 3) 
7 ( 3) 
Total 
100 (44) 
100 (41) 
3* Factors Influencing Distribut ion and Abundance of Pheasants 
W. L. Anderson, S. L. Wunderle 
A count of all pheasant hens and broods observed on the Neoga Area during 
July and August indicated a 26 percent decline, from 1962 to 19&3> in the number 
of hens producing broods. Twenty-five of 39 hens (64 percent) were accompanied 
by broods in 1962 whereas only 42 of 89 hens (47 percent) were observed with 
broods in 19 o 3 • 
At Neoga, counts of pheasant broods along a standardized, 40-mile roadside 
transect, driven twice weekly during July and August, 1963^ showed that 17 of 35 
hens (49 percent) were accompanied by broods. Comparable data from the Sibley 
Area showed that 39 percent of the hens were accompanied by broods in 19&3 as 
compared with 57 percent in 1962 (see Wildlife Research Newsletter, August, 1963)* 
These data suggest that the proportion of hens that hatched and reared broods 
decreased from 1962 to 1963 in the established pheasant range (Sibley) in Illinois, 
as well as south of the contiguous pheasant range (Neoga). 
4. Responses of Bobwhites and Prairie Chickens J. A. Ellis, 
to Habitat Manipulation R. J. Ellis 
A search for nests of bobwhite quails and prairie chickens was conducted on 
the 16-square-mile Bogota area during the period of May - August, 1963- Twelve 
quail nests and 10 prairie chicken nests were found on the 851 acres searched 
(Table 2). Seven of the 12 quail nests were found in cover along roadsides; the 
others were established in fields of timothy, alfalfa, or redtop. Eight of the 
10 prairie chicken nests were located in redtop fields that were not harvested 
during 1962 or 1963* Two prairie chicken nests were found in unharvested red 
clover. Prairie chickens demonstrated a preference for unharvested hayfields, 
especially redtop. Seven quail nests and three prairie chicken nests were found 
on areas not systematically searched; these nests are not included in Table 2. 
