Vo I. I 1 , No. 1 
Page 3 
an opportunity to learn whether west and south slopes are actually preferred. 
Forty-six nests have been found at Bogota in undisturbed cover. All were exposed 
overhead in varying degree. While 17 percent of the nests had no obvious lateral 
opening, 61 percent were exposed to the northeast, east, southeast, or south (180°) 
directions. Thus, there appears to be some tendency for nesting prairie chickens 
to orient their nest entry to take advantage of morning sunlight. 
6. Rabbit Management j. A. Bailey, J. C. Hanson 
Evidence for the occurrences of a regionwide scarcity of cottontails during 
1952-53• 3 regionwide abundance during 1955-58, and another regionwide scarcity 
during 1961-64 has been presented (Monthly Wildlife Research Letter 10(4):3). 
These data have also been used to examine the geographic pattern of events in the 
regionwide increases and decreases in abundance of cottontails. 
The change from scarcity to abundance of rabbits in Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, 
and Missouri during 1950-59 was examined. In data from these states: (1) the 
lowest population index during 1950-59 occurred first in Minnesota (1951) and last 
in Missouri (1954); (2) the first index above the 1950-59 average index occurred 
first in Minnesota (1954) and last in Missouri (1956); and (3) the highest index 
during 1950-59 occurred first in Minnesota (1955), next in Indiana and Missouri 
(1956), and last in Iowa (1958). 
The change from abundance to scarcity of rabbits in Minnesota, Wisconsin, 
♦ Michigan, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama 
during 1955-63 was also examined. In these data the highest population index 
occurred first in Minnesota and Michigan (1955); then in New York, Indiana, and 
Missouri (1956); then in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Kentucky (1957); next in 
Tennessee (1959); and last in Alabama (i 960 ). Also, the largest l-year decline 
after 1955 occurred first in New York (1957); second in Illinois (1958); then in 
Minnesota. Wisconsin, and Michigan (1959); next in Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky 
(i960); th n in Tennessee (1962); and last in Alabama (1963). The first index, 
after the highest index since 1955 , that was below the 1956-65 average occurred 
first in Kentucky (1958); second in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and New Yor,< 
(1959), third in Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri (1 96 O); then in Tennessee (1962) • 
and last in Alabama (1963). 
While the pattern in these data is not perfect, they suggest a north-to-south 
progression of events in the regionwide fluctuations in cottontail abundance that 
occurred in the eastern United States during 1 950 - 65 . 
