Vol . 8, No. 9 
Page 3 
Dale). Only in the fall of 1964 on Alma did the generally random distribution of 
coveys show a significant departure toward uniformity. 
If the habitat plantings for quail on the Forbes and Dale areas are 
effectively improving the quality of the habitat as they mature, a general trend 
toward uniformity should be detected. Indeed, slightly higher R values are 
generally evident for the two state areas (Table 2). On Forbes, the R value for 
the January distribution increased from 1.70 in 1964 to l .91 in I 965 , and for 
March the R value increased from 1.16 in 1964 to 1.60 in 1965- On Dale, the R 
values increased from 0.95 to 1.28 in November of 1 96 3 and 1964, respectively, 
and from 1.50 to 1.74 in March of 1964 and 1 965 > respectively. 
The fact that the highest R values on the state areas were generally found 
during January and March suggests a more uniform distribution of winter habitat 
than is true for the fall habitat. Because the quail populations at the time of 
the fall census are higher than during the posthunt and prebreeding censuses, 
dispersion of coveys in November should provide the best index to the distribution 
of quail habitat on an area. Also, the fall distribution of coveys should be 
indicative of the placement of reproductive habitat, as brood-rearing activities 
often extend into the fall season. 
Table 2. Comparison of R values obtained by measuring distances to nearest 
neighbors among quail coveys located on the Forbes, Dale, and Alma areas. 
Census Period 
Forbes 
Da 1 e 
Alma 
Prehunt (Nov.) 
1963 
1 • 36f 
0.95 ns* 
— 
1964 
1.12* 
1 .28t 
1 .24f 
Posthunt (Jan.) 
1964 
1.70+ 
1 .88+ 
— 
1965 
1 .91 + 
1.13 ns 
0.84 ns 
Prebreeding (Mar.) 
1964 
1.16 ns 
1 .50+ 
0.97 ns 
1965 
1 .60t 
1 .74 + 
0.93 ns 
* R value is based on an unsatisfactory prehunt census and is therefore probably 
invalid. 
+ Significant 
(P^0.05) departure from randomness toward uniformity. 
* ns 
= random 
0.0000 = 
1.0000 = 
2.1491 = 
distribution, with no significant 
maximum aggregation, 
maximum randomness, 
maximum uniformity. 
departure 
toward uniformity. 
