GAI  SURVEY BULLETIN NO. 4 
 
(For Institute Muiembers & Fellows) 
Doings of the Fellowships. Leopold is visiting the Minnesota and 
Michigan fellowships, and also the Yichigan Demonstration, this 
month. A report on their activities will be deferred until the 
February Bulletin. 
Errington has received a consignment of wild trapped quail for 
experimental purposes from the Wisconsin Conservation Department. 
These will be subjected to feeding tests to determine (1) whether 
locust beans have any toxic qualities which prevent their wider 
utilization as winter food, (2) whether sweet clover has any toxic 
qualities which prevent its wider utilization as winter food, (3) 
to what extent grit is a winter food requirement. 
All of these tests will be made by following the weights of the 
birds fed on locust and clover exclusively as compared with a nor- 
mal ration, and by following the weights of birds fed on a gritless 
ration as compared with a normal one. To make shelled grain 
gritless it has been found necessary to "wash" it. 
The preliminary census work on isolated covies indicates an in- 
crease of 150 per cent as compared with last year. This is be- 
lieved to reflect the mild winter of last year. 
Recent observations on one covey indicate that it modified its 
feeding habits for a week after the visit of a Cooper's hawk for 
two days. 
Spread of the Fellowship Idea. It has just been learned that the 
R. W. Ha ma ranch in Tehama County, California, is conducting an 
investigation of the California Valley Quail at the owner's ex- 
pense. The investigator is Lawrence V. Compton, M.eadow Ranch, 
Red Bluff, California. His work is supervised by the Museum of 
Vertebrate Zoology at Berkeley. 
This means that there is now a life history study being made 
of each of the three southwestern quails, one by the Institute and 
two by others. 
NORTH CENTRAL REPORT. Bids have now been received. The report 
goes to press next week. Copies will be distributed through co- 
operating organizations at el postpaid. An edition of 5,000 is 
being ordered. The report will be available sometime in Mlarch. 
 
-ooo000oo- 
 
JANUARY 1, 1931.