Vol. 14, No. 5 
Page 2 
Survey are now attempting to ascertain the extent of these graded road¬ 
sides in Ford, McLean, and Iroquois counties preparatory to determining 
the feasibility of seeding the roadsides with brome and alfalfa. It is 
believed that at least two advantages would accrue from setting up a pro¬ 
gram of treating these roadsides at the end of each summer: (1) Satis¬ 
factory nesting cover for pheasants, although on a limited scale, would 
be developed on roadsides that would otherwise be of little value as 
nesting cover for several years after grading; and (2) a wide area would 
be covered, bringing many different farmers and township road commissioners 
into contact with the program. Because these roadsides usually constitute 
somewhat of an erosion problem for a few years after grading (since they 
lack much vegetation), it is expected that both road commissioners and 
farmers will cooperate with the program. 
3» Ecology and Management of Squirrels C. M. Nixon 
An infestation of scabies or mange, caused by a mite of the genus 
Sarcoptes, is often endemic in fox squirrels in winter. During the 
winter of 1970-71 > a moderate infestation of mange was found in the fox 
squirrel population inhabiting a 46-acre forest located within the Allerton 
Park Sanctuary. The rate of infestation increased from November (12.5 per¬ 
cent, N=8) to March (43.8 percent, N=l6), when livetrapping ceased. Adult 
squirrels had a slightly lower rate of infestation (32.7 percent, N=52) 
than did subadults (35*4 percent, N=48), but the difference was not signifi¬ 
cant (£ <0.05)* Only two squirrels were found to be extensively depilated 
and one of these subsequently died in a live trap. Most squirrels were 
infected only on both ears and on the dorsal surface of the neck and 
shoulders. 
The rate of infection of scabies may be related to dietary deficiencies 
that render individual squirrels more susceptible to infection during the 
winter months. A high-density population, such as occurs on the Allerton 
Sanctuary (MWRL 14(4):2-3), may also increase contact among individual 
squirrels and facilitate the spread of the infection. Most squirrels 
seem to recover readily during the spring and summer, but individuals 
extensively depilated often die, presumably because body heat csnnot be 
retained during the cold winter months. 
4. Responses of B ^whites to Habitat Manipulation J. A. Ellis, 
D. R. Vance 
One of the factors possibly influencing the decline in the population 
abundance of quail in the experimental management zone on Forbes, in 
spite of the sharecropping program, has been the continued depletion of 
soil nutrients through cropping. This zone on Forbes has been cropped 
at moderate intensity for 5 years without replenishment of N, P, K, or 
CaC 03 . Soil samples taken from plots in the experimental zone on Forbes 
in 1970 indicated levels of soil fertility well below those recommended 
for normal crop production. The infertility was evident in crop yields 
and in the vegetation on the plots. The poor quality of the vegetation 
i 
