Vol. 16, No. 8 
Page 2 
Results of the electrophoretic experiments disclosed that there were no 
differences in the proteins examined between the northern and southern Illinois 
squirrels nor between the North Carolina and Pennsylvania squirrels. The genetic 
alleles, which determine the nature of the proteins, were the same in the southern 
and northern Illinois squirrels, and, likewise, were the same in the North 
Carolina and Pennsylvania specimens. It appears that natural selection is favor¬ 
ing the same alleles at the gene loci examined in the two subspecies of polygamous 
gray squirrels. However, the biochemical differences in the two subspecies appear 
to be subtle, and the sensitivity of electrophoresis may not be great enough to 
detect such differences. 
Responses of Bobwhites to Habitat Manipulation J. A. Ellis 
Pood items found in the crops of quail harvested on the Dale and Forbes areas 
in 1971 were identified, and the volumes of all seeds except acorns ( Quercus spp.) 
were determined. Seeds of 34 species of plants were found in 150 crops obtained 
from the Dale Area in 1971* The 10 most important species listed in order of 
decreasing volume of seeds consumed were: soybean (Glycine max ), Korean lespedeza 
( Lespedeza stipulacea) , wheat (Triticum aestivum ), buckwheat (Faqopyrum esculentum ), 
jewelweed (Impatiens pal 1ida ), common ragweed ( Ambrosia artemisiifolia) , corn 
(Zea mays), tick clover (Desmodiurn spp.), wild bean (Strophostyles spp.), and 
beggar-ticks (Bidens spp.). 
Thirty-three species of seeds were identified in the 194 crops from the 
Forbes Area. The 10 most important foods listed in order of decreasing volume 
consumed were: wheat, corn, Korean lespedeza, cow pea (Viqna sinensis ), soybean, 
common ragweed, tick clover, foxtail (Setaria spp.), jewelweed, and lance-leaf 
ragweed (Ambrosia bidentata ). Although volumetric measurements were not made of 
acorn fragments because of the instability of the fruit in the crops of quail, 
acorn fragments were found in 25 percent and 22 percent of the crops from the 
Forbes and Dale areas, respectively. This high degree of frequency of occurrence 
would have placed acorns among the top 10 foods on both areas had it been possible 
to make volumetric measurements. 
The bobwhite feeds on a variety of plant seeds during November and December. 
The bulk of the diet is supplied by seeds of plants associated with the early 
stages of secondary succession and by seeds of agricultural crops. In samples 
from Forbes and Dale, agricultural seeds comprised 88 percent and 63 percent, 
respectively, of the total volumes among the top 10 food items consumed. Thus, 
quail on the Dale A r ea relied more on native food items than did quail on Forbes. 
Responses of Prair ie Chickens to Habitat M anipulation R. L. Westemeier, 
D. R. Vance 
Redtop (Agrostis alba) continues to be the basic grass used to provide 
quality nest cover on prairie chicken sanctuaries in Illinois. Timothy (Phleum 
pratense ) has also proven to be an attractive cover for nesting hens, but the 
