W^t\ L I B R.ARY OF THE U N IVLR.5ITY or ILLINOIS cop, 2 './.lUKAL HISTORY SURVEY STATE OF ILLINOIS William G. Stratton, Governor DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND EDUCATION Vera M. Binks, Director WINTER FOODS OF THE BOBWHITE IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS EDWARD J. LARIMER Biological Notes No. 42 Printed by Authority of the State of Illinois NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY DIVISION Harlow B. Mills, Chief Urbana, Illinois May, I960 WINTER FOODS OF THE BOBWHITE IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS* Edward J. Larimer+ This is a report on the winter foods of the bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) in southern Illinois. The investigation on which it is based constitutes onephase of the co-operative research program of the Illinois Natural History Survey and Southern Illinois University. Data were obtained by inspection of 4,606 crops from bobwhites that were collected during the hunting seasons (November 11-December 11) of 1950 and 1951- Primary consideration was given to determining the kinds of food eaten, to measuring the volume of each food, and to calculating the frequency of occurrence of each (frequency expressed as a percentage of total number of crops collected). An attempt was made to evaluate the effect of weather on the diet and to deter- mine whether any trends in the diet were evident during the short period of time represented. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people aided in this study; to each I am in- debted. Dr. Willard D. Klimstra, Director of the Co- operative Wildlife Research Laboratory and Professor of Zoology at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, gave direct supervision and ready assistance. Dr. Thomas G. Scott, Game Specialist and Head, Section of Wildlife Research, Illinois Natural History Survey, aided and encouraged the study in many ways. Mrs. Diana R. Braverman edited the manuscript. The staff of the Illinois Natural History Survey assisted with insect identification. Dr. Alexander C. Martin, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, identified several plant and animal food items. John Oberheu, John Stallings, William Biegler, Walter Stieglitz, John Dennis, Mrs. Elizabeth Leighty, and other members of the Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University, gave ' valuable technical assistance. The Southern Illinois University Statistical Service simplified the computa- tion and tabulation of the data. Many sportsmen con- •Pfoject No. 1 : Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University and the Illinois Natural History Survey, co-operating. TTechnical Assistant, Illinois Natural History Survey, October 16, 1950-June II, 1951, and October 1, 1952-Decem- ber 31,1953; now Biologist, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. tributed bobwhite crops. I am grateful to them as well as to the persons named above. Mr. A. E. Staley of Decatur, Illinois, contributed funds to support this investigation, and Mr. Max McGraw of Chicago, Illinois, assisted by arranging a grant from the North American Wildlife Foundation. I gratefully acknowledge the support of these men in making pos- sible the completion of this study. DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA The area, fig. 1, within which the investigation was conducted includes the 34 southernmost counties of Illinois. Irregular in shape, the area extends 160 miles north to south and 150 miles east to west and covers approximately 15,000 square miles. Almost a third of the study area lies below the 38th parallel, which is south of Louisville, Kentucky, and all of the area is farther south than northernmost Virginia. This area was chosen because it included the major portion of the bobwhite population in Illinois and rep- resented that part of the state which held the greatest potential for bobwhite management. Marquardt & Scott (1952:4-5) reported that 62 per cent of the bobwhites bagged in Illinois in 1950 were from the region covered by the study area; of the 29 counties reporting the "best" kills of bobwhites, 24 were among those included in this study. The continental location and latitude of the area result in considerable climatic variation. Mean January temperatures range from 28 degrees F. in the northern part of the study area to about 34 degrees F. in the southern part; during July most of this region has a mean temperature of 78 degrees F. Summer temperatures of 100 degrees F. are not infrequent, and winter tem- peratures as low as -20 degrees F. are occasionally recorded. In the southern part of the study area the growing season is over 200 days long, sufficient to grow crops such as cotton; at the northern border the growing season is about 180 days long. The average an- nual precipitation varies from 38 to over 46 inches, being lower in the north than in the south. March is the wettest month. For most of the area, 50 to 60 per cent of the annual rainfall occurs during the growing season; how- ever, the extreme southern tip receives less than 50 per cent during the growing season. The average annual snowfall ranges from 9-9 inches in the south to 18.6 inches in the north, but snow normally remains on the Fig. 1. — Counties in southern Illinois (indicated by dotted pattern) in which bobwhite crops were collected from hunters for the investigation reported in this publication. ground for only a short time. The above data, compiled from long-record weather stations in Illinois, were taken from Page (1949). The study area embraces a zone of transition for floral, faunal, physiographic, and edaphic provinces. In biotic communities, farming practices, and cultural mores, a fusion of the North and the South is evident. The Western Mesophytic Forest and the Oak-Hickory Forest tegions are found here (Braun 1950). The Oak- Hickory Forest is extensively interspersed with prairie, whereas the Western Mesophytic Forest is marked by hilly terrain with mixed mesophytic communities. King & Winters (1952:3, 22) estimated that 39 per cent of Illi- nois had originally been forested, whereas 11 per cent was forested in 1948. The greater part of the present] forested area of the state is in the study area, particu- larly in the 11 southernmost counties where, in 1948, 18 per cent of the total land in some counties to over 40 per cent in others was timbered (King & Winters 1952:21). Four major soil associations occur in southern Illi- nois (U.S. Department of Agriculture 1938:1056-7, 1067, 1104, 1134; and map accompanying). These range from extensive alluvial deposits along the Ohio and Missis- sippi rivers to mature upland soils. Soil fertility is gen- erally low, but the land responds well to careful culti- vation and sound conservation practices. Four major physiographic provinces are represented (Leighton, Ek- blaw, & Horberg 1948), ranging from rugged hills in the south to gentle plains in the north. Approximately four- fifths of the area was glaciated. Four farming-type areas occur in southern Illinois (Ross & Case 1956:32): general farming and dairy, gen- eral farming, grain and livestock, and general farming and fruit. There is no sharp distinction between the farming-type areas; land use varies considerably even within each of these areas (Ross & Case 1956:51-62). The acreage in corn ranges from 20 per cent of the land in some counties to 31 per cent in others, soybeans from 9 to l6 per cent, wheat from 4 to 20 per cent, pas- ture from 23 to 43 per cent, hay from 5 to 9 per cent, and idle land from 6 to 11 per cent. The largest com acreages are in regions influenced by extensive river bottoms. The acreage planted to soybeans has increased in recent years. Most of the wheat is in the central part of the area. METHODS OF ANALYSIS The average volume per unit — such as a seed or an insect — was found for each kind of food by determining the volume of a large number of units of that food and dividing this total volume by the number of units. In all but a few cases, volume was determined by the displacement method. The volume of ver\' small seeds could not be determined without a displacement medium. Lead shot and sand as displacement media proved unsatisfactory. Water was a suitable displace- ment medium for the determination of the average unit volume of most seeds and insects. Objects that floated were forced below the surface with a small screen of known volume. Certain seeds and all soft-bodied animals such as slugs and larvae were measured in their natural state in order to eliminate error introduced by the shrinkage that occurs during storage in the laboratory; when thoroughly dried, foods of this type often shrink to but a small fraction of their original volume. Accuracy in determining the average unit volume for each kind of food depended upon measuring a large num- ber of specimens. If the bobwhite crops did not yield enough specimens of any food to permit reliable meas- urements to be made, additional specimens of the same food were taken from the reference collection used in food habits studies at Southern Illinois University, or, if neither source yielded an adequate number of speci- mens, an estimate of average unit volume was obtained by comparison with foods of known volume. In most cases the total volume of a specific food in a crop was calculated by multiplying the number of units of that food by the average unit volume determined for it. When fragments of a food unit occurred in a single Table 1.— Number of hunters contacted, number of hunters who contributed bobwhite crops, and number of crops collected from 34 southern Illinois counties during two hunting seasons, November 11-December 11, 1950 and 1951.* 1950 1951 Total County T3 V i i I u 00 c V 'Z c c 3 O X U 4-t o ° PQ il 12 u a 2 c c 3 O X u 00 c C C 3 O I U 1 " ■§ s CQ (J u 00 c X U 1 " Alexander 5 3 63 4 1 9 4 63 Bond 1 9 2 1 66 3 1 75 Clay 5 3 61 5 2 23 10 5 84 Clinton 5 2 66 2 7 2 66 Crawford 4 1 21 6 2 23 10 3 44 Edwards 3 3 69 5 3 74 8 6 143 Effingham 4 2 48 6 3 49 10 5 97 Fayette 3 2 62 5 3 31 8 5 93 Franklin 5 3 57 8 6 176 13 9 233 Gallatin 5 3 75 3 1 11 8 4 86 Hamilton 4 2 75 4 2 65 8 4 140 Hardin 5 3 50 4 3 39 9 6 89 Jackson 9 7 60 8 7 126 17 14 186 Jasper 4 2 62 2 2 14 6 4 76 Jefferson 5 3 81 6 6 173 11 9 254 Johnson 3 2 79 2 2 99 5 4 178 Lawrence 3 2 20 3 3 36 6 5 56 Madison 3 1 33 3 6 1 33 Marion 3 2 140 5 5 225 8 7 365 Massac 5 3 18 4 3 19 9 6 37 Monroe 6 5 131 4 1 15 10 6 146 Perry 6 4 122 4 3 80 10 7 202 Pope 5 1 59 3 1 5 8 2 64 Pulaski 6 2 111 5 3 93 11 5 204 Randolph 6 4 U7 6 4 86 12 8 203 Richland 5 4 62 4 1 32 9 5 94 Saline 5 3 15 3 2 4 8 5 19 St. Clair 5 3 99 5 2 69 10 5 168 Union 5 3 53 6 2 48 U 5 101 Wabash ^ 5 1 26 3 2 42 8 3 68 Washington 5 4 154 1 1 10 6 5 164 Wayne 5 3 127 5 1 63 10 4 190 White 5 5 176 4 4 196 9 9 372 Williamson 6 5 99 6 5 64 12 10 163 County undetermined — - 34 - - 16 - - 50 ToUtt 1S9 96 2,534 146 87 2.072 30} i83 4.606 •The numbers of hunters who were contacted and who contributed bobwhite crops are tabulated according to the counties in which they resided. Each crop is tabulated according to the county in which the bobwhite was killed. The contributing hunters did not necessarily hunt in their home counties. I crop, as was frequently the case with acorns, the total volume of complete and fragmentary units was measured by displacement. For each food, one or more whole or partial units of that food in a crop constituted an "occurrence." Fre- quency of occurrence for any food was expressed as percentage and was derived by dividing the number of crops in which the food was found by the total number of crops examined (including those that contained no in 1951; 60.4 per cent of the hunters contacted contrib- uted crops in 1950 and 59.6 per cent in 1951- The aver- age number of crops per contributor was 26.4 in 1950 and 23.8 in 1951- Contributions by individual hunters for a single season ranged from 2 to 179 crops. Crops were collected in each of the 34 counties involved in this study. The date of kill was available for 3,925 of the 4,606 bobwhites collected, fig. 2. Each year a greater kill 450 400H o lU d 350H lij 300 X § 250H CO o 200H S I50H 100- 50- 13 15 17 19 21 NOVEMBER 23 25 27 29 5 7 9 DECE MBE R Fig. 2. —The number of bobwhites killed on each day of the hunting seasons of 1950 and 1951 combined. The date of kill was known for 3,925 of the 4,606 bobwhites represented in this study. food). The percentage of the total crop contents con- stituted by any food was determined by dividing the total volume of the food by the total volume of the con- tents of all crops. In order to facilitate analysis of the data, they were placed on approximately 20,000 Inter- national Business Machine cards. RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION Contents of the crops of 4,606 bobwhites were ana- lyzed; of these, 2,534 were collected in 1950 and 2,072 in 1951 during the Illinois hunting season, which ex- tended from noon of November 11 through December 11, table 1. Food was found in 4,171 of the crops, 2,326 in 1950 and 1,845 in 1951. Ninety-six hunters contributed crops in 1950 and 8" was made on the opening day of the hunting season than on any other day, despite the fact that the season did not open until noon. In the 2 years combined, over 11 per cent of the bobwhites for which the kill dates were known were killed on the opening days. Fifty-four per cent of the total kill was accomplished during the first 10 days of the seasons and 19 per cent during the last 10 days. Approximately 25 per cent of the birds were taken during the first 3 days of the hunting seasons. The number of bobwhites killed per day was only a little greater on the week ends than it was on the weekdays. Major Food Groups Foods identified as plant made up 93-94 per cent of the total volume of the crop contents of the bobwhites I Fig. 3. — Percentage of total food volume made up by each of the 10 most important food items in the bobwhite diet in 34 counties in southern Illinois. The figures are based on crop collections made during the hunting seasons of 1950 and 1951 combined. collected in 1950 and 1951 combined, table A, Appendix. Foods identified as animal totaled 6.03 per cent and grit made up 0.02 per cent. In addition to material iden- tified as plant or animal was organic material of unde- termined origin amounting to 0.01 per cent of the total contents. A comparison of the dietary pattern for 1950 with that for 1951 revealed some differences in the percent- Q O O YELLOW FOXTAIL 9.12% ACORNS 9.55% DESMODIUM 12.11% SMALL WILD BEAN 12.35 % SMOOTH CRABGRASS 12.64 % BIDENS 18.98 % SOYBEAN 22.08% COMMON RAGWEED 26.40% CORN 28.85 % KOREAN and JAPANESE LESPEDEZAS 42.23 % 1 10 1 1 20 30 40 PER CENT OF CROPS Fig. 4.— Frequency of occurrence (in per cent) of the 10 foods which were found in the greatest number of bobwhite crops in southern Illinois in the hunting seasons of 1950 and 1951 combined. ages of food identified as plant or animal. In 1950 the plant materials constituted 95.22 per cent and the ani- mal materials constituted 4.75 per cent of the total vol- ume. In 1951 the plant materials totaled 92.21 per cent and the animal materials 7.77 per cent. Each of six families of plants formed 1 per cent or more of the volume of plant food and the six together totaled 97.58 per cent of the plant food in the years 1950 and 1951 combined, table B, Appendix (scientific names of food plants are included in this table). Leg- umes made up 39.22 per cent of the plant food volume; representatives occurred 4,507 times (the total of all occurrences of each food identified as a member of the legume family). Soybean, Korean and Japanese lespe- dezas, desmodium, cowpea, and small wild bean were the most common legumes. Korean and Japanese lespe- dezas were represented in almost as many crops as all the other members of the family combined. In this study Korean and Japanese lespedezas were grouped as one food because of the difficulty in distinguishing between the two species when the husks were missing or when the seeds were immature. Grasses comprised 37.83 per cent of the plant foods, with representatives appearing 3,743 times. Com, wheat, yellow foxtail, and smooth crabgrass were represented inappreciable amounts. The number of species of grasses represented exceeded that of any other family, but most of the grasses did not occur in large quantities. The beech family ranked third by volume. Oaks (acorns), the only representatives of this family, formed 7.65 per cent of the plant food volume and occurred 440 times. Members of the composite family accounted for 6.91 per cent of the plant food volume and representatives occurred 2,323 times. Three composites — common rag- weed, bidens, and lance-leaved ragweed — were present in significant quantities. The laurel family ranked fifth in volumetric order. White sassafras, the only laurel represented, formed 4.04 per cent of the plant food volume and occurred 241 times in the crops collected. One other family, touch-me-not, formed nearly 2 per cent of the total plant food volume. Jewelweed, the only member represented, comprised 1.93 per cent of the plant food volume and occurred 399 times. Three other families — cashew, spurge, and sour gum —account- ed for 0.52, 0.51, and 0.47 per cent by volume respec- tively of the plant foods. Two animal classes. Gastropoda and Insecta, each made up 1 per cent or more of the volume of the bob- white diet. The Gastropoda (snails, slugs, limpets, and whelks) formed 48.64 per cent of the animal food and occurred 364 times, table C, Appendix. Of the slugs the Philomycidae occurred most often. Insects com- prised 44.56 per cent of the animal food volume, with representatives appearing 1,527 times. The order Or- thoptera (grasshoppers, cockroaches, and crickets) ac- counted for approximately one-half of the insect volume but occurred only about one-sixth as often as all other insect items combined. Three other classes, Arach- noidea (scorpions, harvestmen, spiders, and mites), Chilopoda (centipedes), and Diplopoda (millipedes), were of little consequence in terms of volume. Food Items The foods found in the crops for both years were listed under 187 separate designations, table D, Appen- dix. On the basis of volume or frequency of occurrence only a few of these were of importance in the diet; the first 10 foods by volume are presented in fig. 3 and by frequency of occurrence in fig. 4. Only 12 plant and 2 animal foods individually comprised 1 per cent or more of the total volume, fig. 5; together, they formed 92.53 per cent of the crop contents in both years combined. A few foods accounted for most of the volume. Com and soybean, ranking first and second, together made up 50.22 per cent of the total volume. These and the next highest ranking foods — Korean and Japanese lespedezas, acorns, and wheat — made up 7 1.5 2 per centof the volume. Variations in relative volume from one year to the next were noted. In 1950, 14 foods and, in 1951, 12 foods individually accounted for 1 per cent or more of the volume. Com, soybean, Korean and Japanese les- pedezas, acorns, wheat, common ragweed, slugs, jewel- weed, bidens, and short-horned grasshoppers were among these foods in both years. Cowpea, small wild bean, yellow foxtail, and smooth crabgrass formed more than 1 per cent of the volume in 1950 but smaller percent- ages in 1951. White sassafras and desmodium constitut- ed 1 per cent or more of the volume in 1951 only. Com and soybean ranked first and second by volume both in 1950 and in 1951. Korean and Japanese lespedezas, corn, and common ragweed ranked in that order in frequency of occurrence both in 1950 and in 1951. Soybean, bidens, and small wild bean were each found in more than 10 per cent of the crops in both years. Smooth crabgrass, yellow fox- tail, and witch grass each occurred in more than 10 per cent of the crops in 1950 only; desmodium, acoms, and white sassafras in 1951 only. Soybean comprised 29.05 per cent of the total volume in 1950 but only 13.47 per cent in 1951. The frequency of occurrence of soybean fell from 26.20 per cent in 1950 to 17.04 per cent the following year. Other impor- tant foods which showed marked variations in relative volume in the two years were white sassafras, wheat, cowpea, acorns, desmodium, and bidens. Com, Korean and Japanese lespedezas, common ragweed, slugs, jewel- weed, short-horned grasshoppers, and small wild bean showed little quantitative change from 1950 to 1951. Some of the foods taken in small quantities also exhibited comparatively marked variations in amounts taken in 1950 and in 1951. Black gum was particu- larly notable in that it constituted 0.77 per cent by vol- ume of the crop contents and appeared in 0.59 per cent of the crops in 1950 but did not appear in 1951. Food items forming 1 per cent or more of the total volume for 1950 and 1951 combined, table D, Appendix, are herewith discussed in some detail. They are pre- sented in descending order of rank by per cent of vol- ume of total crop contents. 1. Corn, found in greater quantity than any other food, constituted 27.79 per cent of the total crop con- tents. It was present in 28.85 per cent of the southern Illinois bobwhite crops examined, ranking second in frequency of occurrence. The amount of this food re- flects, among other things, its agricultural importance and general availability in southern Illinois. In the diet of certain Indiana bobwhites, corn was first by volume (27.4 percent) and occurred in 29.1 per centof the crops (Reeves 1954:43). It was the most important winter food of bobwhites studied in eastern Nebraska (Damon 1949: 25). In a Missouri study (Korschgen 1948:52), it ranked second by volume (16.8 per cent) and occurred in 22.2 per cent of the crops. 2. Soybean made up 22.43 per cent of the total crop contents and ranked fourth in frequency of occurrence; it was found in 22.08 per cent of the Illinois crops ex- amined. As in the case of corn, the importance of soy- bean in the food of southern Illinois bobwhites probably reflects its agricultural importance and general avail- ability in the study area. This legume was not found in large proportions in other studies of bobwhite foods. In Indiana, Reeves (1954:43) found that soybean made up 4.0 per cent of the volume, ranking fifth. For Missouri, Korschgen (1948:52) reported that soybean ranked sev- enth (2.6per cent) by volume. Baldwin & Handley (1946: 145) ranked it third by volume (7.6 per cent) in Virginia. Cady (1944:12) found that soybean and cowpea together held fourth place by percentage of total weight (3.57 per cent) in the Tennessee area he studied. 3. Korean and Japanese lespedezas were third by volume (8.66 per cent of crop contents) but first in fre- quency of occurrence (42.23 per cent) in southem Illi- nois. In the cases in which each could be specifically designated, Korean lespedeza comprised approximately 90 per cent of the total volume of the two species and occurred approximately three times as often as Japanese lespedeza. Compared to the com and soybean acreage, the yearly acreage planted in Korean and Japanese lespedezas within the study area was small. However, the persistence of these lespedezas and their ability to spread undoubtedly made them widely available. Many other studies have shown these lespedezas to be impor- tant as food for bobwhites. In a Missouri study in which the species were listed separately, Korean lespedeza ranked first by volume (17.4 per cent) and first in fre- quency of "occurrence (44.8 per cent), while Japanese lespedeza made up 1.1 per cent of the volume and oc- curred in 14.0 percent ofthe crops (Korschgen 1948:52). In an Indiana investigation (Reeves 1954:43), Korean lespedeza was third by volume (15.7 per cent) and first in frequency of occurrence (55.8 per cent). In a report from Virginia (Baldwin & Handley 1946:145), Japanese lespedeza ranked second by volume (9.7 per cent). A study on abandoned farm land in Tennessee (Cady 1944) revealed that these lespedezas formed a substantial proportion of the bobwhite food, 62.38 per cent of the total food by weight. 4. Oak (acorns) constituted 7.19 per cent of the crop contents and ranked ninth in frequency of occur- rence (9.55 per cent) in southern Illinois bobwhites. Few whole acorns were found in the crops; most of this food had evidently been taken by the bobwhites in the form of fragments remaining from the feeding activities of other animals. Acorns are found throughout most of the range of bobwhites and are a staple food in most places. They were found to be the most common food in the diet of Alabama bobwhites studied by Allen & Pearson (1945^:9, 1945^:9), forming over 20 per cent of the food volume. They ranked fifth by volume (6.6 per cent) in a Missouri study (Korschgen 1948:52) and ninth (1.4 per cent) in an Indiana study (Reeves 1954:44). 5. Wheat made up 5.45 per cent of the crop contents and occurred in 4.54 per cent of the crops in the present study. When wheat occurred in a crop it generally formed the major portion of the contents, possibly reflecting its tendency to be locally available. Wheat ranked fifth by volume in this study, sixth in a Virginia study (Bald- win & Handley 1946:145), and third in a Pennsylvania study (Bennett & English 1939:29). Lower volumes of wheat were reported occurring in the bobwhite crops from states in the western wheat belt. Wheat was fifteenth by volume in a Missouri study (Korschgen 1948:52) and twenty-second (Lee 1948:7) and twenty-first (Baumgartner et al. 1952:343) in two Oklahoma studies. During fall and early winter, wheat is apparently more readily available to bobwhites in areas to the northeast of the western wheat belt than it is to bobwhites in the wheat belt; this availability is probably due to differing agricultural practices. 6. Common ragweed comprised 4.58 per cent of the total crop contents and ranked third in frequency of oc- currence (26.40 percent) in southern Illinois. An annual weed of cultivated lands, waste places, roadsides, pas- tures, and newly abandoned fields, common ragweed has proved to be an important food of bobwhites in sev- eral studies. In Indiana, lesser ragweed ranked second (37.2 per cent) in frequency of occurrence and consti- tuted 9.1 per cent of the volume (Reeves 1954:43)- In Missouri, common ragweed occupied third place by vol- ume (12.7 per cent) and occurred in 36.6 per cent of the crops (Korschgen 1948:52). In Virginia (Baldwin & Hand- ley 1946:145), it was first by volume (21.3 per cent). In Tennessee (Cady 1944:12), it ranked second by per cent of total weight (14.29 per cent). 7. White sassafras made up 3.80 per cent of the crop contents and occurred in 5.23 per cent of the south- ern Illinois crops. Like wheat, white sassafras consti- tuted the major portion of the contents of the individual crops in which it was found. This shrub is common in fencerows, in abandoned fields, and as an understory in woods of southern Illinois. While white sassafras is a common food of bobwhites in other midwestem states, it appears to be of little importance in southern and southwestern states. In a Missouri study, white sassa- fras was sixth by volume (2.9 per cent) and occurred in 4.7 per cent of the crops (Korschgen 1948:52). In an Indiana study, it ranked second by volume (21.2 per cent) and occurred in 21.2 percent of the crops (Reeves 1954:43)- No sizable volume of sassafras was found in the bobwhite diets studied in Virginia (Baldwin & Hand- ley 1946:145) or Tennessee (Cady 1944:12), and none at all in Oklahoma (Lee 1948:20; Baumgartner e/ a/. 1952). 8. Desmodium (also known as tick clover, tick tre- foil, sticktight, and beggar's tick) accounted for 2.94 per cent of the total volume and ranked eighth (12. 11 per cent) in frequency of occurrence in southern Illinois bobwhites. Most of the many perennial species of des- modium are native to wooded areas and are usually found on dry soils. Desmodium is an important bobwhite food throughout most of the Midwest and South. In a re- port from Missouri, desmodium comprised 2.3 per cent of the food, ranking eighth by volume and occurring in 10.7 per cent of the crops studied (Korschgen 1948:52). In a Virginia study (Baldwin & Handley 1946:145), it was also eighth by volume (3.6 per cent). Desmodium ranked third by weight (3.73 per cent) in a Tennessee study (Cady 1944:12) and was eleventh by volume (1.2 per cent) in an Indiana study (Reeves 1954:43). 9. Slugs furnished 2.81 per cent of the volume and ranked twelfth in frequency of occurrence (6.84 per cent) in the Illinois crops examined. Slugs were unlike most other animal foods in that several were often found in one crop. Slugs of the family Philomycidae are common in woodland and are usually over one-half inch in length. In this study, slugs were found in greater volumes than had been reported forother studies, although frequencies of occurrence were sometimes comparable. The greater volumes reported in this investigation may have resulted from our method, described earlier, of determining vol- ume of animal foods. In Missouri, snails occurred in 3.4 per cent of the crops examined (Korschgen 1952:22). In Alabama, they comprised only 0.2 per cent of the food volume but occurred in 20.91 per cent of the crops ex- amined (Gray 1940:23). 10. Jewelweed accounted for 1.82 per cent of the total crop contents and ranked eleventh in frequency of occurrence; it was found in 8.66 per cent of the crops examined in the present study. On wet, calcareous soils, this plant is common in partial shade. In a Missouri study, jewelweed comprised 0.2 per cent of the volume 12 and occurred in 1.3 per cent of the crops (Korschgen 1948:52). It was thirteenth by volume (1.8 per cent) in a report from Virginia (Baldwin & Handley 1946:145), and seventh (3.9 per cent) in an Indiana study (Reeves 1954:43). and, by weight, eleventh (0.56 per cent) in a Tennessee study (Cady 1944:12). 11. Bidens (also known as bur marigold, beggar tick, sticktight, and Spanish needle) formed 1.38 per cent of the total crop contents and was the fifth most frequently occurring food, being found in 18.98 per cent of the crops of southern Illinois bobwhites. Some species of bidens are annual and some are perennial; they are plants of open woods, roadsides, and fields and are generally found in wet places. Bidens formed a greater volume of the food of bobwhites in Illinois than in neigh- boring states. In Missouri, it occurred in 7.0 per cent of the crops examined and accounted for only 0.6 per cent of the volume (Korschgen 1948:52). Bidens averaged less than 1 per cent of the total food volume in reports from Virginia (Baldwin & Handley 1946:145) and Indiana (Reeves 1954:43) and of the total weight in Tennessee (Cady 1944:12). 12. Cowpea comprised 1.36 per cent of the volume of crop contents in southern Illinois and occurred in 1.73 per cent of the crops. The acreage of cowpea plant- ed annually in Illinois is now small, because this crop has been replaced largely by soybean. Cowpea, like wheat and white sassafras, occurred in considerable quantity in individual crops; it is possibly a preferred food of the bobwhite. In Missouri, Korschgen (1948:52) found that cowpea formed 0.6 per cent of the volume and occurred in 0.9 per cent of the crops. Baldwin & Handley (1946:145) stated that cowpea ranked fifth by volume (5.1 per cent) in Virginia. In Alabama, Johnson & Pearson (1948:12) ranked cowpea second by volume (11.86 per cent). 13. Short-horned grasshoppers formed 1.32 per cent of the total volume of crop contents and occurred in 4.54 per cent of the southern Illinois bobwhite crops. Grasshoppers have been found to be the most important animal food in most studies of bobwhite foods. In a re- port from Missouri, they were the animal food taken in greatest quantity, comprising 0.8 per cent of the total volume and 7.7 per cent in frequency of occurrence (Korschgen 1948:52). Short-horned grasshoppers were seventeenth by volume (1 per cent) in a Virginia study (Baldwin & Handley 1946:145); in an Alabama study (Gray 1940:22), they formed 5.63 per cent of the volume of the November diet and 2.08 per cent of the foods taken in December, averaging 1.70 per cent for the 4- month winter season. 14. Small wild bean constituted 1 per cent of the crop contents and was the seventh most frequently found food, occurring in 12.35 per cent of the crops ex- amined for the present study. Small wild bean is prob- ably not generally abundant in southern Illinois; those crops in which it was found usually contained only a few beans. This plant, which grows locally in Illinois as well as in most of the Midwest and the South, is an annual of dry and sandy soil found on river banks, in idle fields, and in open woods. In Missouri, it was ninth by volume (1.8 per cent) and occurred in 17.9 per cent of the crops examined (Korschgen 1948:52). In Alabama, a species comparable to small wild bean made up 5.12, 2.11, and 1.04 per cent of the volume in three studies (Gray 1940:16; Allen & Pearson 1945^:9, 1945^:14). In an Indiana report, it was recorded as a trace (Reeves 1954:44). 15. A few additional foods found in southern Illinois bobwhite crops seem worthy of mention. Yellow foxtail, smooth crabgrass, lance-leaved ragweed, black gum, insect larvae, and smooth sumac individually formed 0.26 to 0.86 per cent of the total crop contents. Smooth crabgrass, yellow foxtail, witch grass, Pennsylvania smartweed, and ground beetles occurred frequently but were taken in small quantities. Most animal foods and some seeds, such as those of sumac and Pennsylvania smartweed, were seldom taken in great numbers by an individual bobwhite. Some seeds, particularly those of the grasses, were so small that the consumption of large numbers added little to the total volume. Some of the smallest seeds were probably incidental to the diet and were perhaps picked up while the bobwhites were feed- ing primarily on other foods. Only a negligible percent- age of the total volume was made up of fragments of plant materials and insect parts that could not be identi- fied as to kind. REGIONAL COMPARISON OF DIETS Comparisons of data from other states with data from the present study, table 2, indicate that bobwhites in adjoining states — Indiana (Reeves 1954), Missouri (Korschgen 1948), and Kentucky (Barbour 1951) — have great similarity of diet to the bobwhites in Illinois. Nine of the 12 foods which made up 1 per cent or more of the bobwhite diet in Indiana also formed 1 per cent or more of the diet of Illinois bobwhites. Eight of 14 important foods in Missouri were of significance in Illinois. Each of the four foods found in greatest quan- tity in certain Kentucky bobwhites comprised 1 per cent or more of the diet in this study. Bobwhite food habits in southern Illinois tend to be fairly similar to those reported in studies made in or near the same latitude as that of southern Illinois. The diets of bobwhites in Virginia (Baldwin & Handley 1946) and Pennsylvania (Bennett & English 1939) resembled the diet of Illinois bobwhites more than did diets of 13 Table 2. —Percentage of total volume o{ crop contents and rank of the food items making up at least 1 per cent of the total volume found in 4,606 bobwhite crops collected in southern Illinois during the hunting seasons in 1950 and 1951; also, com- Corn Soybean Korean and Japanese Lespedezas Oak (Acorns) Wheat Common Ragweed Collection Per Per Per Per Per Per Cent of Rank Cent of Rank Cent of Rank Cent of Rank Cent of Rank Cent of Rank Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume Volume ILLINOIS - 4,606 crops collected Nov. U-Dec. 11, 1950 and 1951 (present study) 27.79 1 22.43 2 8.66 3 7.19 4 5.45 5 4.58 6 MISSOURI - 5,472 crops collected Nov. 10-Dec. 31, 1940 and 1941 CKorsrhppn 1 948^ 16.8 2 2.6 7 18.5* 1 6.6 5 t 12.7 3 INDIANA - 831 crops collected Nov. 10-Dec. 20, 1947 and 1948 (Reeves 1954) 27.4- 1 4.0 5 15. 7* 3 1.4 9 4.0 6 9.1 4 KENTUCKY - 331 crops collected Nov. 24, 1941 -Jan. 6, 1942 ^Rarhour lOSl^-.-. 8.9 3 29.52* 1 16.57 2 y UAHjyj ui i^^x^.. ........ **...*.. TENNESSEE - 552 crops collected Nov. 25-Jan. 25, 1929-1931 (Cady 1944) — per cent by weight rnrher than volum/*. >...■■■■■.■■■. 1.43* 6 3.57*1: 4 62.38* 1 tt 1.15* 8 14.291: 2 VIRGINIA - 495 crops collected Nov. 15-Jan. 31, 1929-1931 (Baldwin & Handley 1946) 3.4 10 7.6 3 9.7* 2 3.7 7 4.0 6 21.3 1 ALABAMA - 440 crops collected Nov. 20- Feb. 20, "several years" ^Grav 19401 t __ 27.96' 1 2.49 9 ..^ 1.76 12 \\jLay i.y^\jj* ....... ............. ALABAMA - 347 crops collected Dec, 1936-1939, 1941, and 1942 (Johnson & Pearson 1948) 2.29 12 4.38 7 20.56* 1 11.65 3 8.88 4 ALABAMA - 149 crops collected Nov., 1937-1939, 1942, and 1943 (Allen & Pearson 1945a) 3.21 8 2.11 11 1.54* 14 23.71 1 OKLAHOMA - 385 crops collected Nov. and Dec, 1946 and 1947 (Lee 1948) 3.83 8 — 8.74* 3 6.35 5 1.05 22 10.86* 2 OKLAHOMA - 1,771 crops collected Nov. 20-Jan. 1, 1939-1951 (including 150 from other months) (Baumgartner et al. 1952) 5.6 7 — 8.7 5 10.9 2 t 10.4 4 PENNSYLVANIA -61 crops coUected Oct. 28-Nov. 26, 1938 (Bennett & English 1939) 21 2 — t 9 3 25 1 1 •Grouping of food items differs slightly TFood item was reported as constituting from that in the present study. less than 1 per cent of total volume. *Per cent by weight rather than volume. ••Figure is for a different but comparable 14 parable data from similar studies of bobwhite food habits by investigators in eight other states. Ranks were adjusted to corre- spond to groupings of food items in present study and are not necessarily the same as those given in the original reference. White Sassafras Desmodium Slugs Jewelweed Bidens Cowpea Short-Horned Grasshoppers Small Wild Bean Per Cent of Volume Rank Per Cent of Volume Rank Per Cent of Volume Rank Per Cent of Volume Rank Per Cent of Volume Rank Per Cent of Volume Rank Per Cent of Volume Rank Per Cent of Volume Rank 3.80 7 2.94 8 2.81 9 1.82 10 1.38 U 1.36 12 1.32 13 1.00 14 2.9 6 2.3 8 — t t t t 1.8 9 21.2 2 1.2 11 — 3.9" 7 t — t t — 5.36 4 — — — — — — tt 3.73t 3 — n** ft 't — — t 3.6 8 — 1.8 13 t 5.1 . 5 1.0 17 — — 9.99 2 — — — 2.99 6 1.70 13 — — 5.44 5 — — — 11.86 2 1.93 13 — — 3.76 7 — — — 8.88 4 1.72 12 t — — t t — 2.43 9 1 1.3 15 — — — — — 6.8 6 1 _ _ _ _ _ t _ 15 bobwhites in the South or Southwest. Ten of 18 foods forming 1 per cent or more of the diet of Virginia bob- whites and 3 of 5 foods of Pennsylvania bobwhites were found in quantities in the present study. Food habits of bobwhites in Illinois showed a closer similarity to those of bobwhites in the South than to those of bobwhites in a southwestern state. Six of 9 whites throughout most of the bobwhite range. These foods formed 1 per cent or more of the total volume in II of the 12 studies reviewed. Desmodium and acorns were only slightly less common, forming 1 per cent or more of the diet in 10 and 9 studies respectively. Soybean, wheat, cowpea, and short-horned grass- hoppers were found in quantities in 5 to 7 of the 12 Table 3. — For each of several cultivated foods, foods associated with cultivation, and old-field native foods, the per- centage of bobwhite crops containing that food and the percentage of the total volume of crop contents comprised by that food in bobwhite crops collected in southern Illinois during the hunting seasons of 1950 and 1951 and for the two seasons combined. 1950 1951 1950 and 1951 Combined (2,326 Crops) (1,845 Crops) (4,171 Crops) Food Item* Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent of Total of Total of Total of Total of Total of Total Occurrences Crop Contents Occurrences Crop Contents Occurrences Crop Contents CULTIVATED Corn 31.25 30.78 25.92 23.74 28.85 27.79 Soybean 26.20 29.05 17.04 13.47 22.08 22.43 Wheat 2.57 2.54 6.95 9.38 4.54 5.45 Cowpea 2.53 2.06 0.77 0.39 1.73 1.36 Total 64.43 46.98 57.03 ASSOCIATED WITH CULTIVATION Korean and Japanese lespedezas 44.44 9.89 39.53 7.00 42.23 8.66 Common ragweed 28.26 4.65 24.13 4.50 26.40 4.58 Bidens 17.25 1.09 21.09 1.78 18.98 1.38 Yellow foxtail 12.51 1.21 4.97 0.38 9.12 0.86 Smooth crabgrass 15.07 1.00 9.65 0.43 12.64 0.76 Lance-leaved ragweed 2.37 0.23 4.92 0.73 3.52 0.44 Total i8.07 14.82 16.68 OLD-FIELD NATIVE Oak (acorns) 6.27 4.62 13.56 10.66 9.55 7.19 White sassafras 0.75 0.36 10.71 8.44 5.23 3.80 Desmodium 7.18 0.91 18.15 5.69 12.11 2.94 Jewelweed 9.35 2.00 7.82 1.58 8.66 1.82 Small wild bean 10.73 1.05 14.33 0.94 12.35 1.00 Black gum 0.59 0.77 — — 0.33 0.44 Smooch sumac 1.14 0.09 4.25 0.48 2.54 0.26 Total 9.80 27.79 n.4^ •Includes only those plant foods accounting for more than 0,25 per cent of the total food volume. foods that made up I per cent or more of the bobwhite diet in Tennessee (Cady 1944:12) were of importance in Illinois. In three Alabama studies, 7 of 16 foods (Allen & Pearson I945a:9), 8 of 20 foods (Johnson & Pearson 1948:12), and 6 of 16 foods (Gray 1940:16-23) that made up 1 per cent or more of the bobwhite food were taken in quantity in Illinois. Food habits as re- vealed in two Oklahoma studies (Lee 1948, Baumgartner et al. 1952) indicated least similarity to those in this study; 6 of 23 and 6 of 19 foods respectively that made up I per cent or more of the volumes in Oklahoma formed 1 per cent or more of the diet of bobwhites in Illinois. Corn, Korean and Japanese lespedezas, and common ragweed were foods found in quantity in crops of bob- 16 studies reviewed. Soybean and cowpea were basic foods in the Midwest and the South. In some studies insect material was treated as one group; grasshoppers would probably have appeared in more studies had itisects been identified separately as to kind. Small wild bean, jewelweed, and white sassafras each appeared in quantity in at least three states. Slugs and bidens were not noted in quantity in any study ex- cept the present one. A number of foods reported in appreciable quantity in several bobwhite studies in other states were of minor importance or were missing in the diet of bobwhites in Illinois. The most conspicuous of these were the ashes. Ashes accounted for at least I per cent of the volume of bobwhite food in six of the studies reviewed, includ- ing those from three states (Missouri, Indiana, and Vir- ginia) where the diets tended to be similar to that in this study. Milk pea, pine, partridge pea, and sweet gum were found in sizable amounts in most of the south- ern states; Johnson grass was reported in appreciable quantities in one southern and two Oklahoma studies. West of the Mississippi River, sorghum formed a large portion of the bobwhite diet. RELATIONSHIP OF AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES TO FOODS AVAILABLE An effort was made to determine the relationship of agricultural practices to the kinds and quantities of foods taken by bobwhites. Those plant foods compris- ing more than 0.25 per cent of the total volume of crop contents were arbitrarily classified into three groups, table 3: (1) cultivated, (2) associated with cultivation, and (3) old-field native. Cultivated foods ixeTe those produced by intentionally grown domesticated plants; foods associated with cultivation were produced by plants not intentionally grown on lands currently or recently in cultivation; old-field native foods •were those produced by plants found in advanced stages of succes- sion on lands idle for a number of years. Korean and Japanese lespedezas were classed as associated with cultivation because the yearly acreage planted to these lespedezas was small in southern Illinois; their abun- dance and availability resulted from their persistence and ability to spread. Cultivated plants formed 57.03 per cent of the vol- ume of crop contents in 1950 and 1951 combined. In re- ports from Missouri (Korschgen 1952:11), Virginia (Bald- win & Handley 1946:149), and Oklahoma (Baumgartner et al. 1952:356), cultivated foods constituted a smaller amount of the food volume, 33.4, 25, and 29.0 per cent respectively. In the present study, plants associated with cultivation made up 16.68 per cent of the volume of crop contents and old-field native plants 17.45 per cent. Cultivated foods found in bobwhite crops formed 64.43 per cent of the crop contents in 1950 and 46.98 per cent in 1951- Old-field native plants provided 9.80 per cent of the diet in 1950 and 27.79 per cent in 1951. Foods associated with cultivation showed the least change from one year to the next, comprising 18.07 per cent of the volume in 1950 and 14.82 per cent in 1951- Although foods associated with cultivation were the least important group by volume, they occurred with the greatest frequency. Four items in this group (Korean and Japanese lespedezas, common ragweed, bidens, and smooth crabgrass) were found in more than 10 per cent of the crops examined; only two cultivated foods (corn and soybean) and two old-field native foods (des- modium and small wild bean) occurred with similar frequency. The availability of cultivated foods in fall and early winter is affected by the time of harvest of agricultural crops. The supply of grain as food for the bobwhite is greatest immediately after the harvest; many cultivated foods are relatively inaccessible to the bobwhite before the harvest. The times of planting and harvesting operations in 1951 were near normal, and, although they were some- what later than usual in 1950, they were not much de- layed. For both years, 95 per cent of the soybean crop was combined by the end of October, while the com harvest was largely completed by late November. Soybean, cowpea, and wheat are believed to deterio- rate rapidly after exposure on the ground, while corn is relatively durable. If the grains that deteriorate rapidly are harvested later than usual, they maybe more readily available to the bobwhites during the hunting season than if they are harvested at the usual time. This as- sumption offers a suitable explanation of the greater importance of soybean and cowpea in 1950 but fails to explain why wheat, presumably even more vulnerable to deterioration than these legumes, formed a larger portion of the diet in 1951, a year of earlier harvest and of adverse weather. Perhaps an explanation lies in the food-cover rela- tionship, figs. 6, 7, and 8. Harvested fields of soybean and cowpea are so nearly denuded of cover that bob- whites tend to restrict their feeding to the field borders. On the other hand, harvested wheat fields are more likely to be utilized by bobwhites than the interiors of dense, tall, uncut wheat stands. Possibly wheat, as well as the old-field native foods, made up a larger percentage of the diet in 1951 because the slightly earlier harvests of all crops that year, as compared to 1950, forced many of the birds out of the fields of har- vested legumes. The deep snow of November 6-7, 1951, may well have abetted, or even initiated, this movement. INFLUENCE OF WEATHER ON DIETARY PATTERN Yearly, seasonal, and even daily variations in the food consumed by bobwhites may result from weather. Any one of a number of closely related factors may re- sult in a varying diet. During the growing season, weather influences the quantities of plant and animal species that are produced; the amounts of each are affected throughout the year. Weather also determines the time that plants become ripe and has some effect on the quality of their seeds. Agricultural practices, which can in themselves influence what foods are available to the bobwhite, are somewhat dependent on daily as 17 ^j|^v"-^| Fig. 6. — Harvested cornfield adjacent to brushy area and fencerow, an ideal combination of food and cover. However, a mechanically harvested field gives the bobwhite little concealing cover. Photo from Southern Illinois University Photo Service. well as seasonal weather conditions. Along with the broad effects of weather, a specific condition — such as an ice or a snow storm — may cause the most striking variations in the bobwhite diet. Even a thin covering of ice can make most foods inaccessible to the bobwhite; snow can have the same effect. For the study area, mean annual temperatures for both years were nearly normal — 56.15 degrees F. in 1950 and 56.18 degrees F. in 1951- Precipitation was heavy in both years; it totaled 67.99 inches in 1950 and 54.05 inches in 1951 in contrast to the established annual average of 43.53 inches. The established aver- age precipitation during the growing season (March through October) is 30.06 inches. Precipitation during the growing season in 1950 amounted to 38.94 inches. It was more nearly normal (31.25 inches) in 1951- The above figures were interpreted from climatological data reported by weather stations within the 34 counties represented in this study (U.S. Department of Commerce 1951, 1952). Measurable quantities of snow covered the ground for two periods during the 1950 hunting season. During the first snow, which lasted from November 22 to 29) the depth did not exceed 1.3 inches. However, from December 6 to 11, 4 to slightly more than 7 inches of snow covered the ground throughout most of southern Illinois. No snow fell during the 1951 hunting season, but near-record snowfalls were recorded immediately before and after the hunting season. Definite changes in food habits were apparent during the time when deep snow covered the ground, table 4. There was a substantial increase in the amount of soy- bean in the diet. Cowpea and purple meadow rue, the latter normally occurring in the crops in insignificant quantities, were the only other foods which increased considerably. Soybean and co^^-pea formed 57.45 per cent and 2.77 per cent respectively of the total crop con- tents during the period of deep snow. In contrast, these foods accounted for 18.79 per cent and 1.21 per cent respectively of the volume taken by the bobwhites under 18 normal weather conditions during the hunting seasons. The frequency with which soybean occurred in the crops rose from 25.92 per cent during the period of little or no snow to 35.59 per cent when there was 4 to slightly over 7 inches of snow, while frequency of occurrence of cowpea increased from 1.91 per cent to 4.66 per cent. When soybean or cowpea was found in a crop collected during the period of deep snow, it was often the only food present. Field observations made during the period when snow covered the ground offered a possible explanation of the attending dietary changes. A nearly ideal com- bination of food and cover was formed in unharvested soybean and, to a lesser extent, in high soybean stubble. Beneath the snow there were large quantities of soybean pods and many connected pockets and openings. The snowfall was deep enough to make most foods unavail- able at ground level. Snow formed a fairly continuous roof over the soybean fields, but it was not so heavy as to crush the soybean plants to the ground or to close the openings necessary for ingress or egress. The same situation seemed to exist in fields of cowpea. When covey ranges included such fields, the birds apparently utilized these fields almost exclusively. Inasmuch as heavy snow is unusual in southern Illinois and soybean is capable of maintaining bobwhites through winter weather (Damon 1949:24), this plant might well justify its use in food patches for areas devoted to bobwhite management. The volume of corn in the diet remained fairly con- stant during the period of deep snow. That of most other foods declined sharply. The fact that the volume decreased for acorns, white sassafras, desmodium, smooth sumac, and other foods associated with heavy woody cover may be significant. The birds represented in this study apparently did not depend upon food as- sociated with heavy woody cover during the period of deep snow. -,' V'.' ,\- . ■> w ■^ )vM^ ^ Fig. 7. —A sassafras fencerow adjacent to wheat stubble, an excellent combination of food and cover for bobwhites in winter. Conmon ragweed, lespedeza, and wheat provide food; the stubble provides desirable roosting cover during the relatively mild winters of southern Illinois. Photo from Southern Illinois University Photo Service. 19 Table 4.— For each of several food items, the percentage of bobwhite crops containing that food and the percentage of the total volume of crop contents comprised by that food in bobwhite crops collected in southern Illinois during the period of normal weather conditions and during the period in which snow covered the ground to a minimum depth of 4 inches in the 1950 and 1951 hunting seasons combined. Per Cent of Total Occurrences Per Cent of Total Crop Contents Food Item* Normal Conditions! Snowt Normal Conditions! Snowt Corn 34.90 30.93 27.93 26.38 Soybean 25.92 35.59 18.79 57.45 Korean and Japanese lespedezas 51.74 35.17 8.91 6.28 Oak (acorns) U.89 5.08 7.60 3.29 Wheat 5.72 1.27 6.00 0.11 Common ragweed 33.15 9.75 5.01 0.44 White sassafras 6.67 0.42 4.19 0.02 Desmodium 14.87 9.75 3.19 0.60 Slugs 8.50 3.81 3.05 0.57 Jewel weed 10.89 2.97 1.98 0.21 Bidens 23.95 5.08 1.52 0.03 Cowpea 1.91 4.66 1.21 2.77 Short-horned grasshoppers 5.75 0.85 1.45 0.10 Small wild bean 15.67 2.12 1.10 0.02 Yellow foxtail 11.39 4.24 0.91 0.35 Smooth crabgrass 15.92 3.81 0.84 0.02 Lance-leaved ragweed 4.50 0.49 — Black gum 0.42 0.49 — Insect larvae 3.78 — 0.34 — Smooth sumac 3.24 0.71 0.29 0.09 Spiders 4.14 0.85 0.27 0.03 Stink bugs 2.92 0.42 0.25 0.02 Purple meadow rue 0.08 1.27 trace 0.27 Total ^ysi 99.05 •Includes all foods forming 0.25 per cent or more of the volume in any subdivision of this table. tNovember 11 through December 5, 1950, plus the entire 1951 hunting season (3,599 crops). + December 6 through December 11, 1950 (236 crops). DIETARY TRENDS The kinds and amounts of food found in crops from bobwhites killed during the first 10 days of each 31-day hunting season were compared with those of bobwhites killed during the last 10 days, table 5, to determine if dietary trends were indicated within the period for which data were available. The last 10-day period included the deep snow of December 6-11, 1950, which resulted in marked dietary changes; some interpretation of the data is necessary to take into account the effect of deep snow. The volume of animal foods declined and that of plant foods increased as the season progressed. Similar trends appeared in other studies (Gray 1940; Korschgen 1948). Slugs were a notable exception to the general downward trend of animal food in Illinois. They not only appeared in the crops in greater quantities as the Individual plant foods found in crops in increased volume during the latter part of the hunting season in- cluded soybean, Korean and Japanese lespedezas, white sassafras, and smooth sumac. The volumes of com, acorns, wheat, and desmodium were not characterized by marked change. The volumes of all remaining foods declined considerably. Because the two 10-day periods compared were sep>- arated by only 11 days, an insufficient time to allow for much change, the trends are perhaps more apparent than real. However, some of the Illinois findings parallel observations made in other studies. Gray (1940) found that the volume of bush clovers in the diet of Alabama bobwhites increased through November, December, Jan- uary, and February. Korschgen (1948) found in Missouri bobwhites that bush clovers increased in volume from early November to the end of December. In the present study, a greater volume of bush clovers occurred in the season progressed, table 5, but also remained part of last 10 days of each hunting season than in the first 10 the diet during the period of deep snow, table 4. days. It appears that at least some of the long-term 20 Table 5.— For each of several food items, the percentage of bobwhite crops containing that food and the percentage of the total volume of crop contents comprised by that food in bobwhite crops collected in southern Illinois during the first and the last 10 days of the 31-day hunting seasons of 1950 and 1951 combined. Per Cent of Total Occurrences Per Cent of Tota Crop Contents Food Item* First 10 Days Last 10 Days First 10 Days Last 10 Days (2,126 Crops) (740 Crops) (2,126 Crops) (740 Crops) Corn 30.24 26.76 28.44 27.01 Soybean 20.88 27.30 19.71 36.06 Korean and Japanese lespedezas 39.04 47.03 5.62 11.46 Oak (acorns) 7.24 8.11 6.41 4,68 Wheat 3.57 3.51 4.98 3.21 Common ragweed 32.93 15.68 7.19 1.10 White sassafras 3.29 5.41 2.18 3.65 Desmodium 9.83 14.05 3.22 2.93 Slugs 5.55 8.51 2.35 2.69 Jewelweed 10.35 5.41 2.44 1.17 Bidens 20.84 10.41 1.61 0.55 Cowpea 2.11 2.30 2.16 1.34 Short-horned grasshoppers 5.79 0.95 1.86 0.18 Small wild bean 12.70 10.54 1.21 0.61 Yellow foxtail 12.56 3.78 1.24 0.18 Smooth crabgrass 18.67 4.19 1.46 0.02 Lance-leaved ragweed 3.95 3.24 0.71 0.14 Black gum 0.66 — 0.99 — Insect larvae 3.15 2.70 0.36 0.20 Smooth sumac 2.05 3.50 0.19 0.47 Spiders 3.67 2.16 0.32 0.11 Stink bugs 2.21 1.35 0.25 0.08 Ants 3.67 3.38 0.26 0.11 Rushfoil 2.45 1.62 0.47 0.02 Hogwort 1.41 — 0.43 — Poison ivy 1.98 1.22 0.25 0.05 Tola! 96.31 98.02 •Includes all foods forming 0.25 per cent or more of the volume in any subdivision of this table. dietary trends of bobwhites may be indicated during a comparatively short hunting season. SUMMARY Crops from 4,606 bobwhites were collected in 34 southern Illinois counties during the hunting seasons (November Il-December 11) of 1950 and 1951. Food was found in 4,171 of the crops. For both years combined, materials identified as plant formed 93.94 per cent of the volume of crop con- tents, materials identified as animal 6.03 per cent, un- identified organic material 0.01 per cent, and grit 0.02 per cent. Six plant families each comprised 1 per cent or more of the plant volume and together totaled 97.58 per cent of all plant food materials. These were the following: legumes 39.22 per cent, grasses 37.83 per cent, beeches 7.65 per cent, composites 6.91 per cent, laurels 4.04 per cent, and touch-me-nots 1.93 per cent. The Gastrop- oda and the Insecta accounted for most of the animal material, comprising respectively 48.64 and 44.56 per cent of the animal food items. One hundred eighty-seven separate foods were found in the crops, but only 14 foods comprised 1 per cent or more each of the total volume. These included com 27.79 per cent, soybean 22.43 per cent, Korean and Japanese lespedezas 8.66 per cent, acorns 7.19 per cent, wheat 5.45 per cent, common ragweed 4.58 per cent, white sassafras 3.80 per cent, desmodium 2.94 per cent, slugs 2.81 per cent, jewelweed 1.82 per cent, bidens 1.38 per cent, cowpea 1.36 per cent, short-horned grasshoppers 1.32 per cent, and small wild bean 1 per cent. These 14 foods accounted for 92.53 per cent of the total volume. A comparison of the diet of bobwhites in southern Illinois with diets of bobwhites in other states reveals that slugs, bidens, and, particularly, soybean were taken in unusually large quantities in Illinois. Most of the foods that made up 1 per cent or more of 21 Fig. 8. — Balanced habitat for the bobwhite during late summer, fall, and winter. Food is available in the wheat stubble; the woody fencerow provides excellent protective cover. Photo by W. D. Klimstra. the diet of bobwhites in Illinois made up comparable amounts of the diets in the adjoining states of Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky. Similarities in dietary patterns were progressively less in the following order: eastern states of approximately the same latitude as that of southern Illinois, southern states, and a southwestern state. Cultivated plants were extremely important in the diet of southern Illinois bobwhites, accounting foi* 57.03 per cent of the total volume. Plants associated with cultivation made up 16.68 per cent and old-field native plants 17.45 per cent of the total volume. Those as- sociated with cultivation occurred more frequently than cultivated plants or old-field native plants. During a period when deep snow covered the ground. soybean comprised more than50per centof the bobwhite diet. Cowpea and purple meadow rue were the only other foods occurring in increased volumes during this period. Foods associated with heavy woody cover decreased sharply in per cent of total volume. A comparison of foods taken from the crops of bob- whites killed during the first 10 days of the 31-day hunt- ing season with those killed during the last 10 days indicated that Korean and Japanese lespedezas, soy- bean, white sassafras, smooth sumac, and slugs in- creased in importance as the season progressed. A sec- ond group, including corn, acorns, desmodium, and wheat, was not characterized by marked change. Volumes of all other major foods decreased toward the end of the hunting season. 22 LITERATURE CITED Allen, Ralph H., Jr., and Allen M. Pearson 1945a. or bobwhite's November menu. Ala. Conservation 17(5):8-10. 1945b. December diet of whistlin' bob. Ala. Conservation 17(6):8-9, 12, 14. Baldwin, W. P., Jr., and C. O. Handley 1946. Winter food of bobwhite quail in Virginia. Jour. Wildlife Mgt. 10(2):142-9. Barbour, Roger W. 1951. Observations on the fall and winter food of bob-white quail in Kentucky. Jour. Wildlife Mgt. 15(1):108. Baumgartner, Frederick M., Meredith J. Morris, John L. Steele, and Jack E. Williams 1952. Oklahoma bobwhite food relations. N. Am. Wildlife Conf. Trans. 17:338-58. Bennett, Logan J., and P. F. English 1939. The fall foods of ringneck pheasants and bobwhites. Pa. Game News 10(l):8-9, 29. Braun, E. Lucy 1950. Deciduous forests of eastern North America. The Blakiston Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, xiv + 596pp. Cady, Earl R. 1944. Winter quail foods on abandoned farm lands in the Norris Reservoir area. Tenn. Acad. Sci. Jour. 19(l):10-5. Damon, David 1949. Winter foods of quail in Nebraska. Neb. Game, Forestation and Parks Comn. Wildlife Mgt. Notes 1(6):23"6. Fernald, Merritt Lyndon 1950. Gray's manual of botany. Ed. 8. American Book Company, New York. 1,632 pp. Gray, Anderson M. 1940. Winter foods of the bobwhite ^uail in the Black Belt Soil Province of Alabama. Alabama Department of Conser- vation, [\)ontgomery, Alabama] . 23 PP- Johnson, Bruce C, and Allen M. Pearson 1948. Bobwhite's December diet. Ala. Conservation 20(6):4, 12, 13. Jones, George Neville 1950. Flora of Illinois. Ed. 2. American Midland Naturalist Monograph 5. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame, Indiana. 368 pp. King, D. B., and R. K. Winters 1952. Forest resources and industries of Illinois. 111. Ag. Exp. Sta. Bui. 562. 95 pp. Korschgen, Leroy J. 1948. Late-fall and early-winter food habits of bobwhite quail in Missouri. Jour. Wildlife Mgt. 12(l):46-57. 1952. Analysis of the food habits of the bobwhite quail in Missouri. Missouri Conservation Commission, Division of Fish and Game, Qefferson City, Missourf] . 59 pp. Lee, Levon 1948. The fall and winter food of the bobwhite in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Game and Fish Department, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 23 Pp. Leighton, M. M., George E. Ekblaw, and Leland Horberg 1948. Physiographic divisions of Illinois. Jour. Geol. 56(l):l6-33. Marquardt, William C, and Thomas G. Scott 1952. It's in the bag. 111. Wildlife 7(2):4-5. Page, John L. 1949. Climate of Illinois: summary and analysis of long-time weather records. 111. Ag. Exp. Sta. Bui. 532:93-364. Reeves, Maurice C. 1954. Bobwhite quail investigation. Final report. Indiana Department of Conservation, Division of Fish and Game, Indianapolis, Indiana. 151 PP. Ross, R. C, and H. C. M. Case 1956. Types of farming in Illinois: an analysis of differences by areas. 111. Ag. Exp. Sta. Bui. 601. 88 pp. Sailer, Reece I., Chairman 1955. Common names of insects approved by the Entomological Society of America. Ent. Soc. Am. Bui. l(4):l-34. United States Department of Agriculture 1938. Soils and men. Yearbook of Agriculture. House Document 398. Washington, D. C. 1,232 pp. United States Department of Commerce 1951. Annual summary 1950. Climatological data: Illinois 55(13):245-54. 1952. Annual summary 1951. Climatological data: Illinois 56(13):233-42. 23 APPENDIX Table A. — The number of times represented and the percentage of the total volume of crop contents for each general kind of material found in bobwhite crops taken during the hunting seasons of 1950 and 1951 and for the 2 years combined. 1950 and 1951 1950 1951 Combined (2,534 Crops • (2,072 Crops )* (4,606 Crops) • e 3 V B _3 j Contents of Bobwhite Crops -0 t-l a (0 H Pi - 6 O 3 a 1 V '' "■« u o "o > -v ^ c U o a o c H Pi 3 g^ U t-l V a. H "o > -T5 ^ C °^ U ^ u. a, o K C V H si u ^ E 3 V o a. H o > -T3 OJ § C PLANT FOOD KINDS 7,444 95.22 6,063 92.21 13,507 93.94 Undetermined 207 0.01 30 0.01 237 0.01 Determined 7,237 99.99 6,033 99.99 13,270 99.99 (Detailed in table B) ANIMAL FOOD KINDS 837 4.75 1,271 7.77 2,108 6.03 Undetermined 28 0.03 5 0.01 33 0.02 Determined 809 99.97 1,266 99.99 2,075 99.98 (Detailed in table C) UNIDENTIFIED ORGANIC MATERIAL 25 0.01 3 trace 28 0.01 GRIT 56 0.02 53 0.02 109 0.02 Empty crops totaling 435 are included in this study; 208 from 1950 and 227 from 1951. 24 Table B. — For each of the determined kinds of plant food found in bobwhite crops taken during the hunting seasons of 1950 and 1951 and the 2 years combined, the times represented and the percentage of the total plant volume comprised by that food item. The food items are classified by family, genus, and species in all cases in which such identification was possible. The percentage of a genus made up by a species is given only when more than one species of that genus was identified. The nomenclature is for the most part that of Fernald (1950) and Jones (1950). November 11- November 1 1- Data from 1950 and 1951 December U, 1950 December 11, 1951 Combined (4,606 Crops (2,534 Crops of Which (2,072 Crops of Which of Which 4,171 2,326 Contained Food) 1,845 Contained Food) Contained Food) Plant Food Group -a -o It T) t: Cent Dtal t Foo c5 il c (J I c Cent otal It Foo Si u S c Cent otal It Foo c ~ Si P a. -H S ^u. -CJ t- H rt ^ u. w o E D. ir, o ^ u. ..o .2 u 0.^ .5 D Hoi 11^ — D. oa a .- V Hoi a ^-o LEGUME FAMILY (LEGUMINOSAE) 2,422 45.42 2,085 30.57 4,507 39.22 Soybean (Glycine max) 664 67.17 353 47.81 1,017 60.88 Bush clovers (Lespedeza) 1,142 22.88 853 24.94 1,995 23.55 Korean and Japanese lespedezas (L. stipulacea and L. striata) 1,126 99.94 819 99.61 1,945 99.82 Bush clover (L. capitala) 16 0.06 29 0.15 45 0.09 Bicolor bush clover (L. bicolor) — - 4 0.18 4 0.06 Virginian bush clover (L. virginica) - - 1 0.06 1 0.02 Desmodiums (Desmodium) 182 2.11 376 20.19 558 7.99 Cowpea (Vigna sinensis) 64 4.78 16 1.40 80 3.68 Wild beans (Strophostyles) 275 2.52 321 3.60 596 2.87 Small wild bean (S. leiosperma) 272 96.52 297 92.18 569 94.75 Trailing wild bean (S. helvola) 3 3.48 17 6.78 20 4.83 Pink wild bean (S. umbellata) — - 7 1.04 7 0.42 Hog peanut (Amphicarpa hracteata) 8 0.10 56 1.40 64 0.52 Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) 13 0.28 17 0.31 30 0.29 Sennas (Cassia) 66 0.15 91 0.35 157 0.22 Partridge pea (C. fasciculata) 38 67.09 72 85.53 110 76.81 Wild sensitive plant (C. nictitans) 28 32.91 18 14.10 46 22.99 Wild senna (C. marilandica) — - 1 0.38 1 0.20 Clovers (Tri/otium) 4 trace 2 trace 6 trace Red clover (T. pratense) 2 56.49 2 100.00 4 73.84 Crimson clover (T. incamatum) 2 43.51 - - 2 2 1 1 26.16 Vetches (Vicia) 2 trace - - trace Sweet clover (Metitotus indica) 1 trace - - trace Prairie trefoil (Lotus americanus) 1 trace — — trace GRASS FAMILY (GRAMINEAE) 2,234 37.88 1,509 37.76 3,743 37.83 Corn (Zea mays) 792 85.32 537 68.21 1,329 78.19 Wheat (Triticum aestivum) 65 7.05 144 26.93 209 15.33 Bristly foxtails (Setaria) 351 3.43 172 1.83 523 2.76 Yellow foxtail (S. lutescens) 317 98.05 103 60.29 420 87.64 Faber's foxtail (S. faberii) — — 51 33.76 51 9.31 Green foxtail (S. viridis) 26 0.83 11 4.25 37 1.77 Italian millet (S. italica) 8 1.12 7 1.70 15 1.28 Crabgrasses (Digilaria) 513 3.08 246 1.29 759 2.33 Smooth crabgrass (D. ischaemum) 382 90.28 200 96.26 582 91.66 Common crabgrass (D. sanguinalis) 119 7.14 43 3.49 162 6.30 Finger grass (D. /iliformis) 12 2.57 1 0.02 13 1.99 Crabgrasses ( D. spp.i — — 2 0.23 2 0.05 Panic grasses (Panicum) 380 0.76 263 0.90 643 0.82 Switchgrass (P. virgalum) 4 0.45 172 93.28 176 43.03 Fall panicum (P. dichotomi/lorum) 115 71.98 25 2.72 140 40.21 Witch grass (P. capillare) 261 27.57 50 3.49 311 16.52 Panic grasses (P. spp.; - - 8 0.25 8 0.11 Beaked panic grass (P. anceps) - - 7 0.19 7 0.09 Few-flowered panic grass (P. oligosanthes) - - 1 0.08 1 0.04 25 Table B. — Continued November 11- December 11, 1950 (2,534 Crops of Which 2,326 Contained Food) November 1 1- December 11, 1951 (2,072 Crops of Which 1,845 Contained Food) Data from 1950 and 1951 Combined (4,606 Oops of Which 4,171 Contained Food) Plant Food Group T3 V c Hoi Per Cent of Total Plant Food D C U « 0.^ uS c o £ 9- Ha: Per Cent of Total Plant Food U a Si "3 il C u »£ E a. H:S Per Cent of Total Plant Food 0.^ £3 1^ Paspalums (Paspalum) 104 0.28 126 0.25 230 0.27 Paspalums (P. spp.J 104 100.00 - — 104 60.88 Field paspalum (P. laeve) - - 65 63.02 65 24.65 Ciliate-leaved paspalum CP. citialifolium) - - 30 28.52 30 11.16 Paspalum (P. pubillorum) - — 31 8.46 31 3.31 Oats (Avena sativa) - - 2 0.54 2 0.23 Cheat (Btotuus secalinus) 12 0.04 6 0.01 18 0.03 Rye (Secale cereale) 3 0.02 1 0.02 4 0.02 Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense) 1 0.01 2 0.03 3 0.02 Barnyard grass (Echinochloa crusgalli) 1 0.01 3 trace 4 0.01 Broom sedge (Andropogon virginicus) 5 trace 1 trace 6 trace Meadow grasses (Poa) 2 trace 3 trace 5 trace Timothy (Phleum pralense) 2 trace - - 2 trace Wild ryes (Elymus) 2 trace - — 2 trace Little barley (Hordeum pusillum) — — 2 trace 2 trace Orchard grass (Daclylis glomerata) 1 trace - - 1 trace Rice cutgrass (Leersia oryzoides) — - 1 trace 1 trace BEECH FAMILY (FAGACEAE) 159 4.85 281 11.57 440 7.65 Oaks (Quercus) 159 lOO.OC 281 100.00 440 100.00 COMPOSITE FAMILY (COMPOSITAE) 1,245 6.36 1,078 7.67 2,323 6.91 Ragweeds (Ambrosia) 799 81.97 626 74.76 1,425 78.63 Common ragweed ("/l. elatior) 716 93.68 500 85.03 1,216 89.87 Lance-leaved ragweed (A, hidenlata) 60 4.70 102 13.81 162 8.72 Great ragweed (A. trifida) 23 1.61 24 1.16 4-^ 1.42 Bidens (Bidens) 437 17.94 437 25.11 8^4 21.26 Sunflowers (Helianlhus) 2 0.05 6 0.07 8 0.06 Field thistle (Cirsium discolor) 3 0.01 9 0.06 12 0.04 Crownbeard (Verbesina) 2 0.01 _ — 2 0.01 Sumpweed (Iva ciliata) 2 0.01 - - 2 0.01 LAUREL FAMILY (LAURACEAE) 19 0.38 222 9.15 241 4.04 White sassafras (Sassafras albidum) 19 100.00 222 100.00 241 100.00 TOUCH-ME-NOT FAMILY (BALSAMINACEAE) 237 2.10 162 1.71 399 1.93 Jewelweed (Impatiens pallida) 237 100.00 162 100.00 399 100.00 CASHEW FAMILY (ANACARDIACEAE) 92 0.36 142 0.75 234 0.52 Sumacs (Rhus) 92 100.00 142 100.00 234 100.00 Smooth sumac (R. glabra) 29 26.54 88 69.90 117 52.57 Poison ivy (R. radicans) 52 60.08 20 l-'.~9 72 34.71 Sumacs (R. spp.J 11 13.39 34 12.31 45 12.72 SPURGE FAMILY (EUPHORBIACEAE) 100 0.74 106 0.19 206 0.51 Crptons (Croton) 45 50.04 31 57.40 76 51.17 Hogwort (C. capitalus) 30 88.13 8 61.02 38 83.46 Sand croton (C. glandulosus) 8 7.20 12 20.67 20 9.52 Prairie tea (C. monanthogynus) 7 4.67 11 18.31 18 7.02 Rushfoil (Crotonopsis elliptica) 51 49.30 26 16.87 77 44.31 Three-seeded mercury (Acalypha virginica) 4 0.66 33 16.53 37 3.10 Spurges (Chamaesyce) — — 16 9.20 16 1.41 Spurges (C. spp.) — — 15 ^^9.25 15 99.25 Spurge (C. glyptosperma) - - 1 0.~S 1 0.75 26 Table B. — Continued vjovember 11- ^Jovember 1 1- Data from 1950 and 1951 De cember 11, 1950 December 11, 1951 Combined (4,606 Crops (2,534 Crops of Which (2,072 Crops of Which of Which 4,171 2,326 Contained Food) 1,845 Contained Food) C ontained Food) Plant Food Group c u v> W a. U Z. £ 9- Ha: Per Cent of Total Plant Food C TZ V B U n Q. o c w .S >J ho: Per Cent of Total Plant Food 0. o V c U u 0* .^ a -T3 C HPi Per Cent of Total Plant Food c 7Z aj ^ a o a. o SOUR GUM FAMILY (NYSSACEAE) 15 0.81 — - 15 0.47 Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) 15 100.00 — — 15 100.00 WITCH-HAZEL FAMILY (HAMAMELEDACEAE) 35 0.22 14 0.07 49 0.16 Sweet gum (Liquidambar styracijlua) 35 100.00 14 100.00 49 100.00 BUCKWHEAT FAMILY (POLYGONACEAE) 214 0.19 94 0.08 308 0.14 Smartweeds (Polygonum) 193 98.25 94 100.00 287 98.64 Climbing false buckwheat (P. scandens) 44 47.84 22 59.20 66 50.39 Pennsylvania smartweed (P. pensytvanicum) 102 23.82 47 28.16 149 24.80 Common smartweed (P. hydropiper) 46 26.67 25 12.64 71 23.52 Smartweed (P. lapa ihi/olium) 1 1.67 - - 1 1.29 Docks (Rumex) 21 1.75 — — 21 1.36 Field sorrel (R. acetosella) 9 68.48 — - 9 68.48 Curly dock (R. crispus) 8 17.12 - - 8 17.12 Pale dock (R. altissimus) 4 14.40 — - 4 14.40 MULBERRY FAMILY (MORACEAE) 10 O.Il 17 0.13 27 0.12 Osage orange (Madura pomifera) 10 100.00 17 100.00 27 100.00 VINE FAMILY (VITACEAE) 21 0.12 32 0.07 53 0.10 Grapes (Vilis) 21 100.00 32 100.00 53 100.00 Grapes (V. spp.J 21 100.00 10 26.72 31 77.50 Winter grape (V. cinerea) - - 9 37.90 9 11.64 Fox grape (V. labrusca) — — 10 28.95 10 8.89 Frost grape (V. vulpina) - - 3 6.43 3 1.98 NIGHTSHADE FAMILY (SOLANACEAE) 71 0.12 29 0.04 100 0.09 Nightshades (Solarium) 70 99.40 29 100.00 99 99.52 Horse nettle (S. carolinense) 48 95.83 15 89.64 63 94.59 Black nightshade (S. nigrum) 22 4.17 14 10.36 36 5.41 Ground cherry (Physalis) 1 0.60 - 1 0.48 ROSE FAMILY (ROSACEAE) 49 0.05 18 0.07 67 0.06 Plums (Prunus) 2 10.06 5 94.45 7 53.92 Plums (P. spp.) 2 100.00 1 83.61 3 85.07 Wild black cherry (P. serotina) — — 4 16.39 4 14.93 White avens (Geum canadense) 31 61.79 11 3.07 42 31.27 Brambles (Rubus) 13 17.54 1 0.41 14 8.64 Roses (Rosa) 3 10.61 - — 3 5.10 Wild sweet crabapple (Matus coronaria) - - 1 2.06 I 1.07 MADDER FAMILY (RUBIACEAE) 31 0.07 17 0.01 48 0.05 Rough buttonweed (Diodia teres) 31 100.00 17 100.00 48 100.00 SPIDERWORT FAMILY (COMMELINACEAE) 22 0.07 _ — 22 0.04 Dayflower (Commelina dif/usa) 22 100.00 - - 22 100.00 CROWFOOT FAMILY (RANUNCULACEAE) 6 0.05 _ _ 6 0.03 Purple meadow rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum) 6 100.00 — — 6 100.00 HONEYSUCKLE FAMILY (CAPRIFOLIACEAE) 39 0.04 6 0.01 45 0.02 Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) 23 83.45 - - 23 76.24 Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orhiculatus) 14 15.83 6 100.00 20 23.11 Common elder (Sambucus canadensis) 2 0.72 - - 2 0.66 27 Table B. — Continued November 11- November 11- Data from 1950 and 1951 December U, 1950 December 11, 1951 Combined (4,606 Crops (2,534 Crops of Which (2,072 Crops of Which of Which 4,171 2,326 Contained Food) 1,845 Contained Food) Contained Food) Plant Food Group *-< c V c a. .S ii ho: Per Cent of Total Plant Food u S 4) C u in. .- V Hai Per Cent of Total Plant Food «J E U 5 0. o si a o "3 ij c u .§£■ Ha: Per Cent of Total Plant Food a. o H3 3. o 'MINT FAMILY (LABIATAE) 3 trace 4 0.05 7 0.02 Shrubby perilla (Perilla frulescens) - - 4 100.00 4 99.57 Heal-all (Prunella vulgaris) 3 100.00 - - 3 0.43 MALLOW FAMILY rMALVACEAE) 31 0.01 14 trace 45 0.01 Prickly mallow (Sida spinosa) 29 95.98 11 71.43 40 91.69 Velvetleaf (Ahutilon theophrasti) 2 4.02 3 28.57 5 8.31 OLIVE FAMILY (OLEACEAE) _ _ 30 0.03 30 0.01 Ashes (Fraxinus) — — 30 100.00 30 100.00 MILKWEED FAMILY (ASCLEPIADACEAE) 9 0.01 11 0.01 20 0.01 Milkweeds (Asctepias) 9 100.00 11 100.00 20 100.00 DOGWOOD FAMILY (CORNACEAE) 4 0.01 6 trace 10 0.01 Dogwoods (Cornus) 4 100.00 6 100.00 10 100.00 Red osier dogwood (C. stolonifera) 3 88.79 6 100.00 9 90.18 Flowering dogwood (C. florida) 1 11.21 — — 1 9.82 VIOLET FAMILY (VIOLACEAE) _ _ 8 0.01 8 0.01 Violets (Viola) — — 8 100.00 8 100.00 WOOD SORREL FAMILY (OXALIDACEAE) 58 0.01 22 trace 80 trace Wood sorrel (Oxalis striata) 58 100.00 22 100.00 80 100.00 AMARANTH FAMILY (AMARANTHACEAE) 35 trace 19 trace 54 trace Pigweed (Amaranthus retro/lexus) 35 100.00 19 100.00 54 100.00 GOOSEFOOT FAMILY (CHENOPODIACEAE) 32 trace 11 trace 43 trace Lamb's quarter (Chenopodium album) 32 100.00 11 100.00 43 100.00 BORAGE FAMILY (BORAGINACEAE) 10 trace 9 trace IS trace Scorpion grass (Myosotis verna) 10 100.00 9 100.00 19 100.00 SEDGE FAMILY (CYPERACEAE) 5 trace 5 trace IC trace Sedge (Carex striata) 3 58.82 5 100.00 8 77.15 Umbrella sedge (Cyperus) 1 40.11 - - 1 22.26 Blunt spike rush (Eleocharis obtusa) 1 1.07 - - 1 0.59 CARPETWEED FAMILY (AIZOACEAE) _ _ 7 trace - trace Carpetweed (Mollugo verticitlala) - - 7 100.00 100.00 BIGNONIA FAMILY (BIGNONIACEAE) _ _ 5 trace 5 trace Trumpet creeper (Camps is radicans) - - 5 100.00 5 100.00 PINE FAMILY (PINACEAE) 3 trace _ _ 3 trace Junipers (Juniperus) 3 100.00 - - 3 100.00 Common juniper (J. communis) 1 68.75 — - 1 68.75 Red cedar (J. virginiana) 2 31.25 - — 2 31.25 CONVOLVULUS FAMILY (CONVOLVULACEAE ) 3 0.01 _ _ 3 trace Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) 3 100.00 - - 3 100.00 28 1 Table B. — Continued November 11- November 11- Data from 1950 and 1951 December 11, 1950 December 11, 1951 Combined (4,606 Crops (2,534 Crops of Which (2,072 Crops of Which of Which 4,171 2,326 Contained Food) 1,845 Contained Food) Contained Food) Plant Food Group c Per Cent of Total Plant Food «j B U « ^^ a. o 0.^ -0 c .5 V Hoi Per Cent of Total Plant Food >> u « D. o a o a> c .§£■ Hoi Per Cent of Total Plant Food c ■- a. o u 5 0.^ VERVAIN FAMILY (VERBENACEAE) — — 2 trace trace Blue vervain (Verbena hastata) - - 2 100.00 100.00 PINK FAMILY (CARYOPHYLLACEAE) trace _ _ trace Common chickweed (Stellaria media) 100.00 - - 100.00 GERANIUM FAMILY (GERANIACEAE) trace _ _ trace Cranesbill (Geranium carolinianum) 100.00 - - 100.00 MUSTARD FAMILY (CRUCIFERAE) trace _ _ trace Mustard (Brassica) 100.00 - - 100.00 POKEWEED FAMILY (PHYTOLACCACEAE) trace _ _ trace Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) 100.00 - - 100.00 NETTLE FAMILY (URTICACEAE) trace _ _ trace Nettle (Urtica) 100.00 — — 100.00 LILY FAMILY (LILIACEAE) trace _ — trace Greenbrier (Smilax) 1 100.00 - - 100.00 PLANTAIN FAMILY (PLANTAGINACEAE) trace _ _ trace Pursh's plantain (Plantago purshii) 100.00 — — 100.00 STAFF-TREE FAMILY (CELASTRACEAE) _ _ 1 trace trace Climbing bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) - - 1 100.00 100.00 PARSLEY FAMILY (UMBELLIFERAE) _ _ 1 trace trace Large-fruited snakeroot (Sanicula trifoliata) - — 1 100.00 100.00 LEAF MATERL\L 16 trace 66 0.03 82 0.02 29 Table C — For each of the determined kinds of animal food found in bobwhite crops taken during the hunting seasons of 1950 and 1951 and the 2 years combined, the times represented and the percentage of the total animal volume comprised by that food item. The foods are classified by class, order, and family in all cases in which such identification was possible. The percentage of an order made up by a family is given only when more than one family in that order was identified. The nomenclature is that of Sailer (1955). November 11- November 1 1- Data From 1950and 1951 December 11, 1950 December 11, 1951 Combined (4,606 Crops (2,534 Crops of Which (2,072 Crops of Which of Which 4,171 2,326 Contained Food) 1,845 Contained Food^ Contained Food) Animal Food Group -a ■§ -0 It o £ o c Ho: Per Cent of Total Animal Fr (J.2 a o ^1 To c Ho; Per Cent of Total Animal Fc ^o Ha; a. o< = 2 -1 *>— 2. SNAILS, SLUGS, LIMPETS, AND WHELKS (GASTROPODA) 142 51.63 222 46.17 364 48.64 Freshwater and land snails and slugs (Pulmonata) 142 100.00 222 100.00 364 100.00 Slugs (Philomycidae) 134 95.42 181 96.38 315 95.92 Slugs (Limacidae) 8 4.58 6 1.88 14 3.18 Amber Snails (Succinia) — — 35 1.74 35 0.90 INSECTS (INSECTA) 600 43.18 927 45.69 1,527 44.56 Grasshoppers, cockroaches, crickets (Orthoptera) 141 65.29 99 40.74 240 51.51 Short-horned grasshoppers (Acrididae) 120 93.79 89 97.16 209 95.29 Crickets (Gryllidae) 10 3.64 6 1.88 16 2.86 Cockroaches (Blattidae) 5 1.00 2 0.50 7 0.78 Long-horned grasshoppers (Tettigoniidae) 4 0.75 2 0.47 6 0.62 Orthoptera • 2 0.82 — 2 0.4(5 Insect Larvae * 41 7.30 95 14.54 136 11.36 Beetles (Coleoptera) 151 8.36 250 12.13 401 10.47 Ground beetles (Carabidae) 66 58.17 138 74.45 204 68.75 Leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) 12 3.67 48 10.53 60 8.13 Snout beetles (Curculionidae) 17 4.48 41 8.12 58 6.85 Horned passalus (Passalidae) 1 11.65 — — 1 4.07 Darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) 1 3.64 2 3.92 3 3.82 Scarabs (Scarabaeidae) 4 10.48 — — 4 3.67 Ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) 17 2.75 6 0.58 23 1.34 Coleoptera * 24 2.40 4 0.16 28 0.94 Soldier beetle (Cantharidae) — — 1 1.02 1 0.66 Fungus-beetles (Erotylidae) 6 1.53 - - 6 0.53 Primitive weevils (Brentidae) 1 0.51 1 0.27 2 0.36 Sap beetles (Nitidulidae) 2 0.73 — — -> 0.25 Carpet beetle (Dermestidae) — - 1 0.35 1 0.23 Click beetles (F^lateridae) - — 5 0.25 5 0J6 Rove beetles (Staphylinidae) — — 2 0.24 2 0.15 Bark beetle (Scolytidae) — - 1 0.12 1 0.08 True bugs (Heteroptera) 39 4.12 175 15.04 214 10.25 Stink bugs (Pentatomidae) 26 94.83 80 81.89 106 84.18 Squash bugs (Coreidae) — — 5 6.64 5 5.47 Pentatomid nymphs * _ _ 22 3.79 22 3.12 Assassin bugs (Reduviidae) 4 2.36 21 3.16 25 3.02 Negro bugs and burrower bugs (Cydnidae) — — 16 2.39 16 1.97 Leaf bugs (Miridae) — — 24 1.24 24 1.02 Heteroptera * 9 2.80 3 0.09 12 0.57 Shield-backed bug (ScuteUeridae) — — 1 0.66 1 0.55 Chinch bugs (Lygaeidae) — — 3 0.13 3 0.11 Bees, wasps, ants (Hymenoptera) 74 6.57 - 101 9.6« 175 8.31 Ants (Formicidae) 72 91.1S 100 98.53 172 98.27 Typical wasp (Vespidae) — — 1 1.47 1 0.96 Hymenoptera * 2 2.22 _ — 2 0.77 Cicadas, leafhoppers, aphids, scales (Homoptera) 75 6.89 104 6.1S 179 6.49 Leafhoppers (CicadeUidae) 75 100.00 100 98.41 175 99.15 Aphids (Aphidae) - 1 - 4 1.59 4 0.S5 30 Table C— Continued November 11- November 1 1- Data From 1950and 1951 December 11, 1950 December 11, 1951 Combined (4,606 Crops (2,534 Crops of Which (2,072 Crops of Which of Which 4,171 2,326 Contained Food) 1,845 Contained Food) Contained Food) Animal Food Group -0 •T3 O O o V o c 11 B ^ Ha; Per Cent of Total Animal F tj — c B a. Hoc Per Cent of Total Animal F c 11 B o. ._ o Ha: Per Cent of Total Animal F S IS Q. a. o Plant galls • — — 9 l.OL 9 0.57 Insect parts • 70 0.63 84 0.47 154 0.54 Moths, skippers, butterflies (Lepidoptera) 2 0.61 — - 2 0.27 Flies (Diptera) 3 0.12 6 0.15 9 0.14 House flies (Muscidae) 2 63.41 2 40.00 4 49.06 Flesh flies (Sarcophagidae) 1 36.59 I 23.08 2 28.30 Diptera ♦ — — 3 36.92 3 22.64 Insect pupae * 4 0.10 4 0.0{ 8 0.09 SCORPIONS, HARVESTMEN, SPIDERS, NUTES (ARACHNOIDEA) 59 3.29 99 4.97 158 4.21 Spiders (Araneae) 56 95.69 95 96.06 151 95.93 Arachnida * 3 4.31 3 3.93 6 4.06 Spider egg (Araneae) — — 1 O.OI I O.OI CENTIPEDES (CHILOPODA) 4 1.37 9 1.98 13 1.70 MILLIPEDES (DIPLOPODA) 4 0.53 9 1.19 13 0.89 Food item no( identified further than category given. 31 Table D. — For each of 187 separate designations of food, the percentage of bobwhite crops containing that food and the percentage of the total volume of crop contents comprised by that food in bobwhite crops collected in southern Illinois during the hunting seasons of 1950 and 1951 and for the same crops in the two hunting seasons combined; the food items are listed in descending order of rank by per cent of total volume of crop contents. 1950 1951 1950 an d 1951 Food Item Per Cent of Total Occurrences Per Cent of Volume Per Cent of Total Occurrences Per Cent of Volume Per Cent of Total Occurrences Per Cent of Volume Corn 31.25 30.78 25.92 23.74 28.85 27.79 Soybean 26.20 29.05 17.04 13.47 22.08 22.43 Korean and Japanese lespedezas 44.44 9.89 39.50 7.00 42.23 8.66 Oak (acorns) 6.27 4.62 13.56 10.66 9.55 7.19 Wheat 2.57 2.54 6.95 9.38 4.54 5.45 Common ragweed 28.26 4.65 25. 13 4.50 26.40 4.58 White sassafras 0.75 0.36 10.71 8.44 5.23 3.80 Desmodium 7. 18 0.91 18. 15 5.69 12.11 2.94 Slugs (Philomycidae) 5.29 2.34 8.74 3.46 6.84 2.81 Jewelweed 9.35 2.00 7.82 1.58 8.66 1.82 Bidens 17.25 1.09 21.09 1.78 18.98 1.38 Cowpea 2.53 2.06 0.77 0.39 1.73 1.36 Short-horned grasshoppers 4.74 1.25 4.30 1.41 4.54 1.32 Small wild bean 10.73 1.05 14.33 0.94 12.35 1.00 Yellow foxtail 12.51 1.21 4.97 0.38 9.12 0.86 Smooth crabgrass 15.07 1.00 9.65 0.43 12.64 0.76 Lance-leaved ragweed 2.37 0.23 4.92 0.73 3.52 0.44 Black gum 0.59 0.77 — — 0.33 0.44 Insect larvae, unidentified 1.62 0.15 4.58 0.52 2.95 0.31 Smooth sumac 1.14 0.09 4.25 0.48 2.54 0.26 Spiders 2.21 0.15 4.58 0.37 3.28 0.24 Stink bugs 1.03 0.08 3.86 0.44 2.30 0.23 Ants 2.84 0.13 4.83 0.34 3.73 0.22 Rushfoil 2.01 0.35 1.25 0.03 1.67 0.21 Hogwort 1.18 0.31 0.39 0.06 0.83 0.20 Ground beetles 2.60 0.10 6.66 0.32 4.43 0.19 Hog peanut 0.32 0.04 2.70 0.39 1.39 0.19 Leafhoppers 2.96 0. 14 4.83 0.22 3.80 0.17 Poison ivy 2.05 0.21 0.97 0.12 1.56 0.17 Sweet gum 1.38 0.21 0.68 0.06 1.06 0.15 Switchgrass 0. 16 trace 8.30 0.29 3.82 0.13 Fall panicum 4.54 0.20 1.21 0.01 3.04 0. 12 Black locust 0.51 0.12 0.82 0.09 0.65 0.11 Osage orange 0.39 0. 10 0.82 0.12 0.59 0,11 Centipedes 0.16 0.06 0.43 0.15 0.28 0.10 Faber's foxtail — — 2.46 0.21 1.11 0.09 Slugs (Limacidae) 0.32 0.11 0.29 0.07 0.30 0.09 Horse nettle 1.89 0. u 0.72 0.04 1.37 0.08 Oats — — 0. 10 0.19 0.04 0.08 Climbing false buckwheat 1.74 0.09 1.06 0.04 1.43 0.07 Great ragweed 0.91 0.08 1.16 0.06 1.02 0.07 Grapes* 0.83 0. 11 0.48 0.02 0.67 0.07 Partridge pea 1.50 0.04 3.47 0.08 2.39 0.06 Paspalums* 4. 10 0.10 — — 2.26 0.06 Sumacs* 0.43 0.05 1.64 0.09 0.98 0.06 Witch grass 10.30 0.08 2.41 0.01 6.75 0.05 Common crabgrass 4.70 0.08 2.03 0.02 3.52 0.05 Trailing wild bean 0.12 0.04 0.82 0.07 0.43 0.05 Millipedes 0. 16 0.02 0.43 0.09 0.28 0.05 Rough buttonweed 1.22 0.07 0.82 0.01 1.04 0.04 Davflower 0.87 0.07 — — 0.48 0.04 *Some species of this genus were idem only that plant material which could not be ified and the identified as data for those to species. are given under the individual common names; this category includes 32 p Table D. — Continued I Food Item Crickets Pennsylvania smartweed Common smartweed Amber snails Purple meadow rue Field paspalum Leaf beetles Snout beetles Wild sensitive plant White avens Green foxtail Japanese honeysuckle Sand croton Prairie tea Finger grass Plant galls, unidentified Squash bugs Shrubby perilla Plums* Plant material, unidentified Insect parts, unidentified Leaf material, unidentified Bush clover Prickly mallow Three-seeded mercury Ciliate-leaved paspalum Ashes Assassin bugs Pentatomid nymphsT Milkweeds Coralberry Cheat Negro bugs and burrower bugs Italian millet Spurges* Fox grape Winter grape Red osier dogwood Violets Cockroaches Long-horned grasshoppers Arachnidat Rye Scarabs Bicolor bush clover Darkling beetles Johnson grass Orthopterat Moths, skippers, and butterflies Horned passalus Wood sorrel Pigweed 1950 Per Cent of Total Occurrences 0.39 4.03 1.82 0.24 0.47 0.67 1.10 1.22 1.03 0.91 0.32 0.28 0.47 0.08 8.17 2.76 0.63 0.63 1.14 0. 16 0. 16 0.36 0.55 0.47 0.32 0. 12 Per Cent of Volume 0.05 0. 04 0.05 0.04 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.01 0.03 0.03 0.02 0.03 trace 0.01 0.01 trace 0.01 0.01 trace 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.01 O.OI 0.20 0.01 0.16 0.01 0.12 0.01 0. 12 0.01 0.16 0.02 0.04 0.01 0.04 trace 0.08 0.01 0.08 0.01 0.04 0.02 2.29 0.01 1.38 trace 1951 Per Cent of Total Occurrences .29 2 .27 1 .21 1 .69 3 .14 2 .32 1 .98 87 53 53 58 53 05 43 24 19 05 1 48 4 05 3. 19 1. 40 0. 53 1. 59 1. 45 1. 45 1. 01 1. 06 0. 53 0. 29 0. 29 0. 77 0. 34 0. 72 0. 48 0. 43 0. 29 0. 39 0. 10 0. 10 0. 14 0. 05 0. 19 0. 10 0. 10 1.06 0.92 Per Cent of Volume 0.03 0.02 0.01 0.06 0.05 0.05 0.03 0.01 trace 0.03 0.02 0.02 trace 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.05 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.01 trace 0.03 0.02 0.03 0.02 0.02 0.01 trace trace 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.03 trace 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.01 trace trace 1950 and 1951 Per Cent of Total Occurrences 0.35 3.23 1.54 0.76 0.13 41 30 26 00 0.91 0.80 0.50 0.43 0.39 0.28 0.20 0.11 0.09 0.07 5.15 3.34 1.78 0.98 0.87 0.80 0.65 0.65 0.54 0.48 0.43 0.43 0.39 0.35 0.33 0.33 0.22 0.20 0.20 0.17 0.15 0.13 0.13 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.07 0.07 0.04 0.04 0.02 1.74 1. 17 Per Cent of Volume 0.04 0.03 0.03 03 03 02 02 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.02 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01 trace trace •Some species of this genus were identified and the data for those only that plant material which could not be identified as to species. TSome families of this order were identified and the data for those only that animal material which could not be identified as to family. are given under the individual common names; this category includes are given under the individual common names; this category includes 33 Table D. — Continued Food Item 1950 Per Cent of Total Occurrences Per Cent of Volume 1951 Per Cent of Total Occurrences Per Cent of Volume 1950 and 1951 Per Cent of Total Occurrences Lamb's quartet Black nightshade Animal material, unidentified Paspalum Coleopterat Leaf bugs Ladybird beetles Scorpion grass Brambles Heteropterat Field thistle Field sorrel Panic grasses* Sedge Insect pupae, unidentified Curly dock Sunflowers Beaked panic grass Pink wild bean Carpetweed Fungus-beetles Broom sedge Meadow grasses Click beetles Velvetleaf Trumpet creeper Barnyard grass Aphids Pale dock House flies Wild black cherry Red clover Roses Chinch bugs Frost grape Dipteral Field bindweed Heal-all Red cedar Sap beetles Wild ryes Primitive weevils Timothy Rove beetles Crabgrasses* Flesh flies Little barley HymenopteraT Crimson clover Vetch Common elder Crown beard 1.26 0.87 1.10 0.95 0.67 0.39 0.51 0.26 0. 12 0.36 0.12 0. 16 0.32 0.08 0.24 0.20 0.08 0.08 0.04 0. 16 0.08 0.08 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.08 0.08 0.08 0.04 0.08 0.08 0.04 0.08 0.08 0.08 0.08 0.08 trace trace trace trace trace 0.01 trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace 0.01 trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace 0.53 0.68 0.24 1.50 0. 19 1.16 0.29 0.43 0.05 0.14 0.43 0.39 0.24 0. 19 0.29 0.34 0.34 0.34 0.05 0.14 0.24 0.14 0.24 0.14 0.19 0.10 0.19 0.10 0.14 0. 14 0.14 0. 05 0. 10 05 10 trace trace trace 0.01 trace 0.01 trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace 0.01 trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace trace 0.01 trace trace trace trace trace trace trace .93 .78 .72 ,67 .61 0.52 0.50 0,41 0.30 0.26 0.26 0.20 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.17 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.13 0.13 0.11 0.11 0.11 0.11 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.07 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 •Some species of this genus were identified and the data for those are given under the individual common names; this category includes only that plant material which could not be identified as to species. TSome families of this order were identified and the data for those are given under the individual common names; this category' includes only that animal material which could not be identified as to family . 34 Table D. — Continued ■ ■" 1950 1951 1950 an d 1951 Food Item Per Cent of Total Occurrences Per Cent of Volume Per Cent of Total Occurrences Per Cent of Volume Per Cent of Total Occurrences Per Cent of Volume Sumpweed 0.08 trace 0.04 trace Blue vervain — — 0.10 trace 0.04 trace Common juniper 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Bark beetle — — 0.05 trace 0.02 trace Orchard grass 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Carpet beetle — — 0.05 trace 0.02 trace Few-flowered panic grass — — 0.05 trace 0.02 trace Rice cutgrass — — 0.05 trace 0.02 trace Umbrella sedge 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Soldier beetle — — 0.05 trace 0.02 trace Shield-backed bugs — — 0.05 trace 0.02 trace Blunt spike rush 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Greenbrier 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Typical wasp — — 0.05 0.01 0.02 trace Nettle 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Smartweed 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Spider egg — — 0.05 trace 0.02 trace Pokeweed 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Common chickweed 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Mustard 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Wild sweet crabapple — — 0.05 trace 0.02 trace Virginian bush clover — — 0.05 trace 0.02 trace Wild senna — — 0.05 trace 0.02 trace Prairie trefoil 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Sweet clover 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Cranesbill 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Spurge — — 0.05 trace 0.02 trace Flowering dogwood 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Ground cherry 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Pursh's plantain 0.04 trace — — 0.02 trace Climbing bittersweet — — 0.05 trace 0.02 trace Large-fruited snakeroot — — 0.05 trace 0.02 trace ■^" 35 [cr^ •/,■,«/,; ^ t. - .;:iH:l I k' *;*i .■ i 1 , ; ; . '^•dh ■C-"r,'-^*t3