Rockford, Illinois, December 21,1936

 
 
 
            Mr. Aldo Leopold, Professor, 
 
            College of Agriculture, 
            Madison, Wisconsin. 
 
            My dear Professor$ 
 
                              Many, many thanks for the various conmmunications,
re- 
            Brunies, Deer foods, News Letter and Sharp-tailed Grouse, reprint.
Appre- 
            ciate this all tremendously and have set to work on several of
the things 
 
                             Have delayed writing you, since I felt not far
enough 
             advanced in my study of food habits of deer to be of interest
to you.My 
             work confined me longer at the home grounds than I foresaw,hence
my vistt 
             to the Dells was somewhat delayed. Now I am trying to go there
4 or 5 
             afternoons a week, whith should give me a fair insight. 
 
                              Enclosed find copy of daily report, which kindly
return, 
              as I hope to revise and improve it. Tor that purpose invite
your criticisms 
              an  suiggestion as to its improvment, especially manner of
recording. Of 
              course shall embody scientific names of plants in this to avoid
any error. 
 
                              From report sheet you will note daily recording,
which, 
               as season advanced, and, as whole range will have been traversed
repeatedly 
               will result in a more generalized report. By that time, as
winter advances 
               and spring is ushered in the various food preferences should
be pretty well 
               established and no further need for miscroscopic recording.
Even at this 
               early date it is easily seen that the black raspberry seems
the favorite 
               food. T-len,also, you will note some unsuspected foods, th.rt,
now that In am 
               on my guard will be swelled by other varieties. 
 
                               We missed looking at the yew on the lowwr
cliffs as we 
               rode by with Mr. Colman. These are somewhat more accessible
and were 
               heavily browsed last winter. 
 
                               Strauss states that deer leave the cornfields
when snow 
               covers the ground, since they, like hog and cattle pick up
the waste grain 
               after husking. O0 course that does not explain  their absence
from standing 
               corn fields, a thing I will have to work out by myself, with
the help of 
               another blanket of snow.Strauss also claimed that blackberries
were never 
               browsed, tho standing side by side of heavily browsed black
raspberries, 
               My findings do not beer this out, tho the preference is decidedly
for tbe 
               black raspberries. 
 
                                Report sheets show badly balanced sex ratio.
Perhaps my 
               thods of recording daily sight are faulty and lubject to correction
when 
               the sexes seperate after shedding of antlers. Have you any
suggestions? 
 
                                As to density, I doubt that there is a stand
of 100 hdoad 
                on the combined farms. Shall of course verify this also,
even through a 
                drive. Seventy-five comes nearer my own iinpressions. 
 
                                Also note that browse is heabiest nearer
foodpatches, points 
0gt h"(of concentration.