Vo 1. 10, No. 2 
Page 3 
The second-year sod had a nest density seven times greater than the old sod. Three- 
year sod ranked twice as high, and 4-year sod ranked slightly higher, than the old 
sod. 
Most of these data have been collected from stands of redtop in close proximity 
to one another and to booming grounds. Thus, the possibility of bias due to 
selection by the chickens of one geographic location over another is minimal. 
Admittedly, the older, thinner stands of redtop having a deep layer of duff 
on the ground are used by nesting prairie chickens. However, during the past 4 
years at Bogota, the younger, more economically productive stands of redtop, 
especially those with an admixture of red clover and with only a light layer of 
dead vegetation on the ground, have had the highest nest densities. Thus, complete 
renovation-fertilizing, burning, mowing, or a recently developed technique involving 
sod-seeding — may prove necessary to keep the sanctuaries in an attractive condition 
for nesting. 
6. Rabbit Management J. A. Bailey, J. C. Hanson 
Information concerning the rate at which food passes through the digestive 
tract of the cottontail rabbit would be useful in studying the nutrition of this 
species. To provide this information, caged cottontails were force-fed gelatin 
capsules, each containing 17 colored glass beads about 2 mm in diameter. Most 
anmals were force-fed more than once, each time with beads of a different color. 
The force-feedings occurred at 11 AM, 5 PM, 11 PM and 6 AM. Fecal pellets were 
collected and examined for glass beads at the next 9 AM and again at 9 AM on each 
succeeding day up to 10 days. Food was withheld from two groups of rabbits during 
the beginnings of these tests. The fasting period was from 6 AM until 9 AM of the 
following day. One group of animals was force-fed glass beads at the start of this 
fasting period; another was force-fed at 5 PM during the fasting period. 
Some of the glass beads were passed in fecal pellets within 10 hours after 
ingestion. More than 90 percent of the beads had been passed by the fourth day 
after ingestion, regardless of the time of day at which they had been ingested. 
Ninety-nine percent of all the beads had been passed by the seventh day after 
ingestion, and no additional beads were passed on the eighth, ninth, or tenth day. 
The 27-hour fast delayed, by about 24 hours, passage of those glass beads passed 
during the first 3 days. However, even in the cases of fasted rabbits, more than 
ninety percent of the beads had been passed by the fourth day after ingestion; 
ninety-nine percent had been passed by the seventh day; and none were passed on 
the eighth, ninth, or tenth day after ingestion. 
