Vol. 9, No. 2 
Page 3 
selection of nest sites on the seeded plots. Because a 30-degree slope represents 
nearly the maximum which can be adequately tilled, it may be concluded from 
available data that any roadside slope which can be seeded will also be acceptable 
to nesting pheasants. 
3- Factors Inf1uencing Distribution and Abundance of Pheasants W. L. Anderson 
Research concerned with the problem of extending the range of pheasants in 
Illinois logically falls into three broad catejories: (1) experimenta1 releases 
of different species, subspecies, and strains of Phasianus on areas located south 
and west of the range now occupied by pheasants; (2) determining environmental 
differences that exist between range occupied by pheasants and similar appearing 
areas where pheasants are not successful; and (3) comparing the physical condition, 
i.e., physiological status, of pheasants from the better range in the state with 
that of pheasants from marginal and submarginal range. The experimental releases 
at Neoga end BelImont have not resulted in the establishment of a stable, self- 
maintaining population on either area, and new strains of pheasants probably will 
not be available for release for several years. A reasonably complete study of 
environmental differences between pheasant range and unoccupied range would require 
the services of a team of investigators. With the time, money, and manpower 
available, a study of the physiology of pheasants seems to be the most plausible 
and rewarding approach at the present time in attempting to extend the range of 
the pheasant. Therefore, research associated with the experimental releasing of 
pheasants was de-emphasized in February 1966, and comparative studies of the 
physiological responses of pheasants from thriving populations and from marginal 
populations in Illinois will receive primary attention. 
The objective of the present emphasis in this study will be to measure 
physiologic characteristics of pheasants from thriving populations in e3St-central 
Illinois and to compare these characteristics with those of pheasants from marginal 
and submarginal pheasant range for the purpose of disclosing factors preventing 
extension of this species' range in the state. If a species is not successful in 
a particular environment, it is because the individuals of that species are not 
capable of maintaining their normal biological functions under the prevailing 
environmental conditions. Of paramount importance in the success of a population 
are the health and vigor of its members, conditions that are normally reflected in 
the physiological status of animals. Investigations into the physiology of 
pheasants, a grossly underexplored area of research, will provide clues to the 
identity of factors suppressing populations within the established range as well as 
to the factors preventing this species from extending its range into southern and 
western portions of the state. 
4. Responses of Bobwhites to Habitat Manipulation J. A. Ellis, J. A. Eastman 
Studies of the population dynamics of quail in prairie-farmland habitat have 
been conducted since March i964 on an area near Alma in Marion County. Eighty- 
seven percent of this area consists of cultivated land, of which approximately 70 
percent is in row crops; habitat conditions are typical of those found throughout 
much of south-central Illinois. Trends of cultivation, includi ng more row crops, 
more fall plowing, and removal of brushy cover essential to quail, especially along 
