Vol. 5, No. 5 
Page 2 
shown good growth during May as moisture and general weather conditions have favored 
the establishment of the new seedings. 
A search for pheasant nests on the manipulated and control roadside plots 
began during May. At present, the only nesting cover on the manipulated plots is 
provided by fencerows, field edges, and occasionally, road shoulders, because the 
new seedings have not yet attained the height or density proportions believed 
necessary for pheasants to establish nests* The nurse crop of oats in the seeded 
plots will probably offer nesting cover later in the nesting period. 
3. Exten sion of Pheasant Range J. A. Ellis, J. A. Harper, W. L. Anderson 
One hundred and twenty-one individual cocks were located on the Neoga area by 
audio-censuses and observations during the spring of 1962; 88 individual cocks were 
located by the same methods in 1961. The reasons for the 37.5 per cent increase 
in the number of breeding cocks between 1961 and 1962 are not readily apparent. 
However, 46 per cent fewer cocks were harvested during the 1961 hunting season 
than during the 1960 season. In addition, Kansas cocks released on the area in 
December, 1961 appear to have survived the winter in greater numbers than did 
"wild-transplanted" cocks released in the winter of 1960. 
Of the 121 cocks located this spring, 55 (45.5 per cent) were identified as 
to their origin; native and Kansas cocks comprised 76 per cent and 24 per cent, 
respectively, of the identified cocks. 
As of June 1, 1962 the population of hens on the Neoga area appeared to be 
at least equal to the population of hens reported in 1961. However, additional 
observations of breeding hens, nests, and broods will be necessary before the two 
populations can be accurately compared with respect to abundance. 
4. Rabbit Management G. C. Sanderson, D. A. Casteel 
Before the 1961-62 rabbit hunting season opened, each Illinois conservation 
officer was furnished with a rugged metal container filled with 10 per cent formalin 
for preserving eyes collected from rabbits killed by hunters. More than twice as 
many eyes were received this season as in 1960-61. In addition, the number of 
counties represented increased from 26 for each of the previous 2 years to 80 in 
1961-62. Analyses of the lenses indicated that the average age of rabbits has 
decreased in each of the regions for the past 3 years, table 2. During the past 
3 seasons rabbits in the southern region have had the oldest average age and 
rabbits in the prairie region, the youngest average age. Data on the average age 
of cottontail rabbits are shown in table 2. 
