Vol. 8, No. 8 
Page 3 
In 1964, the mean weight of cocks on Alma was higher than the mean weights 
of cocks on Dale and Forbes; this difference in mean weights was statistically 
significant (P<0.05, Duncan's multiple range test). In 1965 , however, there was 
no statistical difference in the mean weights of cocks on the three areas. 
Table 1. Mean weights (grams) of cock quail captured on the study areas, May 19 - 
July 20, 1964, and May 13-July 9> 1965- 
Dale 
Forbes 
Alma 
1964 
1965 
1964 
1965 
1964 
1965 
Number of Weights 
Recorded 
54 
107 
180 
132 
69 
70 
Number of Individ¬ 
uals Captured 
51 
67 
100 
74 
52 
50 
Mean '/eight* 
163.411.5 
162.7ll.2 
l 65 .6lo.7 
164.210.2 
168.011.3 
163-2ll .2 
Range 
142-195 
139.4-201.1 
135-190 
139.7-190.0 
143-193 
139-5-184.0 
* Plus or minus one standard error of the mean weight. 
5• Responses of Prairie Chickens to Hab i tat Manipul at ion R. J. Ellis 
Nine prairie chickens were located by project personnel on 214 acres of grass¬ 
land in July and August, as fellows: three nests on the 77-acre Yeatter 
Prairie Chicken Sanctuary (in 1964, 15 nests were found on this sanctuary; the 
small number of nests found on the Yeatter Sanctuary in 1965 appeared to be due 
to a reduced breeding population and to poorer conditions for searching); two nests 
in a 20-acre timothy meadow 0.5 mile north of the Yeatter Sanctuary; two nests in 
a 10-acre redtop meadow 0.5 mile northeast of the Yeatter Sanctuary; one nest in 
an idle 3-acre field of timothy adjacent to the McGraw Prairie Chicken Sanctuary; 
and one nest in an idle 30-acre field of mixed broom sedge and redtop. 
One prairie chicken nest was found by project personnel, and one nest was 
reported by a farmer, in 40 acres (two 20-acre fields) of the 50-acre area of red 
clover that was searched. Two more nests were reported by farmers: one in the 
field of timothy adjacent to the McGraw Sanctuary, and one in fescue on a grass¬ 
land waterway. The three nests reported by farmers were not seen by the inves¬ 
tigators . 
No prairie chicken nests were located on the 20-acre McGraw Sanctuary nor in 
60 acres of wheat stubble on the Donnelley Sanctuary. 
Eight of the 13 nests discussed above (62 percent) were successful. The 
success of three nests (23 percent) is not known, and two nests (15 percent) were 
unsuccessful. The nest in the timothy field, reported by a farmer, was destroyed 
by plowing and another nest was destroyed by haying operations. 
Two prairie chicken nests found in May were revisited 30 days later, at which 
time no signs of eggs were noted, nor were there any signs of nest predation. 
