Vol . 8, No. 8 
Page 4 
Likewise, eggshells from a successful nest in a clover meadow, observed by a 
farmer, had disappeared when the field was searched 10 days later. Evidence that 
mice removed eggshells from nests was noted in 1963- Snakes, also, may rob nests 
an^ ’ eave no traces of eggshells. 
6. R abbit Management J. A. Bailey, R. J. Siglin 
Exploratory feeding trials were conducted with young cottontail rabbits, 
ranging from 80 to 420 grams in body weight, during July and early August, 1965- 
Sixteen of the 21 animals used in the tests were 1ivetrapped near Urbana and 5 
were hand-raised from nestlings. 
The rabbits were confined in cages measuring 8 x 8 x 11 inches. Water and 
a salt block were available in each cage. Single-species diets were fed to 19 
rabbits; 2 animals were starved. During most of the experiment, the leaves and 
stems of plants were collected daily from several locations near Urbana. Later, 
plant material was collected at intervals of 2 - 3 days and stored in a refrigerator 
before feeding. Tests were terminated after 14 days or upon death of the animals. 
The rabbits were fed ad 1ibiturn until it was determined approximately how 
much of the food they would consume each day. Daily food consumption, survival 
time, and changes in body weight were recorded (Table 2). 
The most nutritious foods, as indicated by survival times and weight records, 
were also the most palatable, as indicated by daily consumption records. All 
rabbits survived for 14 days and gained weight on prickly lettuce and chicory, 
apparently nutritious foods. Rugel's plantain may also be a nutritious food, 
although results were inconsistent. Red clover and smartweed did not sustain 
rabbits and their nutritional value is questionable. (Only one rabbit was fed 
giant ragweed and no conclusions were drawn concerning this food.) 
Bluegrass, supposedly an important cottontail food, was poorest of the plants 
tested. Rabbits fed bluegrass exclusively survived no longer than rabbits without 
food. Two additional trials were conducted to test further the nutritional value 
of bluegrass. One rabbit was fed a commercial rabbit food before being put on 
the bluegrass diet. After the change, it lost weight steadily and died in 4 days. 
Another rabbit was fed bluegrass with a supplement of starch and sugar. It gained 
weight for 3 days on this diet. On the fourth day the supplement was removed, 
and the animal lost weight and died in 2 days. The appearance of the feces of 
these two rabbits indicated that rabbits cannot digest bluegrass. The indigest¬ 
ibility of bluegrass could explain why studies of cottontail food habits, based 
upon analysis of feces, have indicated that bluegrass is an important rabbit food. 
