Vol. 10, No. 6 
Page 2 
calcium and the abundance of pheasants in the eastern half of the United States. 
However, work conducted during the early 1960's revealed that calcium per se 
probably is not a major factor limiting the distribution and abundance of pheasants 
in Illinois. 
Calcium is only one of a large number of inorganic ions commonly present in 
soil. Like calcium, many of these ions are essential for the existence and proper 
functioning of biological systems, and nearly all can become toxic when present 
in excess. Except for limited investigations of cobalt, magnesium, and phosphorus, 
the effects of these ions on pheasant populations have not been studied. Thus, 
the next phase in the elucidation of factors influencing the distribution and 
abundance of pheasants is obviously an investigation of the effects of as many 
inorganic ions as possible. 
During October 1966 and January 1967* 23 hen pheasants were collected by 
night1ighting from thriving populations in Ford and Livingston counties, i4 from 
marginal range (northern Coles County), and 17 from submarginal range (Neoga 
release area in Cumberland County). The birds were classified as 4-month-old 
juveniles, 7-month-old juveniles, and adults (more than 12 months old). Twenty- 
two samples of various tissues and organs were excised from each of these hens, 
pooled (according to type of tissue, geographical region, and, when the samples 
were large enough, age), and sent to the Department of Physics, University of 
Tennessee, Knoxville, where they were analyzed for 5 major elements and 19 trace 
elements. Samples of food (from crops), grit (from gizzards), fecal material 
(from intestines), and soil (collected in the field) were also sent to Tennessee 
for analysis. Analyses of the major elements were made by flame photometric 
(calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium) and colorimetric (phosphorus) 
procedures. Concentrations of the trace elements (aluminum, boron, barium, 
beryllium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, 
silver, strontium, tin, titanium, vanadium, zinc, and zirconium) were determined 
by emission spectrography. 
Although the results of the analytical work are highly preliminary, some 
striking differences in ionic concentrations appear to exist among birds from the 
three regions. For instance, concentrations (ppm) in liver ash of 7-month-old 
juveniles from thriving populations versus birds of the same age from submarginal 
range were; barium, 34:7; cobalt, 18:7, titanium, 66:14; zirconium, 120:60; 
molybdenum, 18:59; and zinc 565:1,122. The completion of this study should cast 
considerable light on the problem of extending the range of the pheasant in 
Illinois. 
4. Responses of Bobwhites to Heoitat Manipulation J. A. Ellis, K. P. Thomas 
Results of the prebreeding censuses conducted during mid-March 1 967 indicated 
that the prebreeding quail population on the Dale Area was the highest ever recorded 
for the area. Ten coveys comprising 86 birds (7*8 quail per 100 acres) were 
located on Dale during the census. This estimate was 77 percent higher than the 
estimate for 1 966 (4.4 quail per 100 acres). 
The estimated prebreeding population on the Forbes Area in 1967 (107 birds; 
4.8 quail per 100 acres) exceeded the estimates for all years except 1964 (117 
