- 2 - 
It is hoped that this undertaking will provide answers to questions regarding 
(1) the acceptance of seedings by farm operators and owners; (2) the problems of 
establishing a large number of seedings, from the standpoint of equipment operation; 
^ (3) the cost and time required to establish and maintain sedings; and (4) the 
possible effects of such seedings on pheasant population levels in future years. 
Personnel of the Natural History Survey have undertaken initial planning of 
the operation, such as designating roadsides to be seeded and computing the 
acreages involved. Department of Conservation personnel will contact landowners 
and establish the seedings. Planting will be done during August 1968 . Comparisons 
of pheasant population levels on the Ford County Management Unit with those on a 
nearby control area began during the spring and summer of 1967 and will continue 
during I 968 and following years, when the seedings mature as pheasant nesting 
cover. 
3 . Factors Influencing Distribution and Abundance of Pheasants W. L. Anderson 
In the previous report (Monthly Wildlife Research Letter 10(11):1-2), it 
was shown that corn from crops of pheasants contained concentrations of minerals 
that were higher than average for this grain. It was therefore concluded that 
pheasants might be capable of selecting corn rich in minerals in preference to 
corn poor in these inorganic nutrients. An alternate, but seemingly less logical, 
interpretation of this finding was that organic nutrients were withdrawn from the 
corn while it was in the crops, thereby increasing the mineral components of the 
grain relative to the organic components. Accounts in the published literature 
indicated that the crop plays a minor role in digestion and absorption. Further, 
corn, which has a hard seed coat, might be expected to be especially resistant to 
digestive activity unless it was masticated. Nevertheless, it is difficult to 
universally apply a biological rule to all species of birds under all environmental 
conditions. 
To determine whether appreciable amounts of organic nutrients are withdrawn 
from corn while it is in crops, two captive pheasants, both adult hens, were force- 
fed about 25 grams each of whole-kernel corn on the evening of December 13* The 
following morning, 15 hours after feedings, the birds were sacrificed; the corn 
remaining in their crops was removed, washed, and placed in an oven (59 C) to dry. 
Two control samples--corn that had not been fed to pheasants--were also washed 
and dried. Dry weights of corn from the crops (256 and 263 mg per kernel) were 
found to be similar to those of the controls (257 and 268 mg per kernel). Thus, 
the possibility that significant amounts of organic nutrients are withdrawn from 
the corn while it is in crops of pheasants was rejected, thereby strengthening the 
interpretation that pheasants might be capable of selecting corn containing greater 
than average concentrations of minerals. 
4. Responses of Bobwhites to Habitat Manipulation J. A. Ellis, K. P. Thomas 
Estimates of the prehunt quail populations on the Dale and Forbes areas in 
1967 were 514 quail (22.3 per 100 acres) on Forbes and 400 quail (36.4 per 100 
acres) on Dale. These prehunt population levels were higher than those of similar 
periods since 1963- The prehunt population of 1 967 exceeded that of 1966 by 64 
percent on Forbes and by 22 percent on Dale. Two factors were believed responsible 
for the high populations of quail during the fall of 1967* The mild winter of 1 966 — 
67 afforded good survival of birds to the breeding season (Monthly Wildlife Research 
Letter 10(6):2-3). Also, quail were captured this fall that were hatched the first 
