Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1949. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-130).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1949. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-157).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1943. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-88).

Thesis--University of Michigan.

Pheasant chicks were tested under both field and laboratory conditions for susceptibility to both inhalation and ingestion of DDT, parathion, methoxychlor, aramite, sulfanone, and #4049 (an organic phosphate). An attempt was made to correlate chemical analysis for DDT in the tissues of dead birds with death from known amounts of DDT. The effect of concentrate spray machines as opposed to hand-gun machines was tested, and an attempt made to evaluate the factors controlling populations of pheasants in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. Both DDT and parathion were found to cause considerable mortality under ideal conditions, but it is thought that such conditions are seldom realized. In the field, parathion acts chiefly through inhalation toxicity, while the reverse is true of DDT. Concentrate machines apply only 30-40 percent as much insecticide to the cover crop in an orchard as do hand-gun machines. The increasing use of such machines may result in a decreased effect of poisons such as-DDT, which acts through ingestion; the finer mist produced by concentrate machines however, may enhance the effect of inhalation poisons such as parathion. Methoxychlor, aramite, sulfanone and # 4049 were found to be nontoxic to pheasant chicks in the concentration employed for the control of orchard pests. These materials are expected to replace DDT and parathion in the Okanagan Valley in the near future. The chemical analysis of dead birds for the presence of DDT has not proven satisfactory to date. The qualitative reduction of pheasant habitat in the Okanagan, as a result of intensive orchard cultivation, is believed to be the greatest single factor affecting pheasant populations in this area. Much of this intensive cultivation is due to the increasing use of sprinkler irrigation, permitting frequent mowing, discing, or other disturbance of the orchard cover crop. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

A review of the current literature on DDT and reports from sportsmen and growers indicated that the concentrations of DDT used in the Okanagan Valley were greater than those experimented with previously. Further, that many other insecticides possibly detrimental to wildlife were in use in the Okanagan. A recent decline in pheasant populations was attributed to orchard spraying by many interested persons. The present investigation is of a preliminary nature and set out to determine: 1. The effect of orchard spraying on pheasants. This was done by means of controlled experiments wherein pheasants were placed in orchards during the normal course of orchard spraying. 2. The residual effect of toxic spray materials. This was done by subjecting pheasants to a period of starvation some time after they had been sprayed. 3. The effect of orchard spraying on wild-life other than pheasants. This was done mainly by field observations. 4. Whether or not the recent pheasant decline was due to orchard spraying. This was also done mainly by field observations. It was found that Parathion with DDT, Parathion, DDT, Hexafoss and Lindane were toxic to pheasants while Mono DN was apparently non-toxic. Inhalation exposures are probably more toxic than ingestion exposures and older birds are apparently more susceptible to both exposure types than are young birds. This 13 thought to be a reflection of the feeding habits of the two age groups. A residual effect was not observed for any of the insecticides tested but the data was not conclusive. Robins, bluebirds and song sparrows are the avian species most affected by orchard spraying. Which sprays are the most toxic is not known at present although Parathion apparently does not harm robins. The mourning dove and California quail are apparently not affected by orchard spraying. Chemical analyses by the total chlorine method do not furnish adequate evidence of death from toxic sprays at the present time. Too many variables are evident that possibly alter the toxic effect of the spray material. The recent pheasant decline did not result from orchard spraying although this practice may have aided decline. The reason for the decline is not known, many theories have been advanced but they are not wholly valid. The conclusion reached is that the pheasant population characteristic is not flat but shows fluctuations which may later prove to be cyclic when more information is available. Several suggestions for future studies, concerning orchard spraying, are made. It is hoped that the biologists will keep pace with insecticide development. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

This study of the ring-necked pheasant was made on the agricultural land of the Municipality of Delta in the southwestern portion of British Columbia. It was based primarily on data collected during the months of May to September in the years 1948 and 1949. Additional information obtained in the fall hunting and winter seasons of these years is also considered. An examination of spring breeding behavior and environmental factors affecting the reproduction of the local pheasant population was made. Nest desertion comprised 54.2 and hay field mowing 36.3 per cent, of the total loss of field nests. Known predation losses were low in both years. Over 80 per cent. of the hens observed in August were accompanied by broods indicating some compensation of early nest loss had occurred through renesting. Brood loss was greatest among chicks of from one to three weeks of age. Mowing was the major known cause of juvenile mortality. Farm-reared pheasants were released on the area and factors influencing their survival were noted. Predation contributed greatest to the known mortality of this group. An analysis of hunting success showed the 1949 fall harvest to be much below that of 1948. Midsummer brood loss was believed responsible for this decrease which was also revealed as a decline in the proportion of young wild cocks in the total bag for 1949. The survival of released male pheasants as indicated by hunting recovery was also low in this year dropping from 38.8 per cent. (1948) to 22.2 per cent. (1949). In both years the fall pheasant population density and the number of cocks harvested in terms of acres per bird compared favourably with that found in other investigations. Suggestions for further study and recommendations for management are also submitted. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

A study of the phyletic relationships among five species of tragopans and an outgroup, the Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus), was conducted from 1987 to 1991. Biochemical, behavioral, and external morphologic characteristics were compared. A cladistic approach was used to compare the behavioral, biochemical, and external morphologic data collectively, as different phyletic relationships were obtained when each area of investigation was analyzed separately. Although unlike other pheasant species the genera Tragopan and Ithaginis molt their tail feathers centrifugally, study results did not indicate that these two groups were closely related. Based on a compilation of 25 characters, seven possible phylogenetic trees were generated. I rejected six of the seven trees based on current geographical distribution, morphology (size and complexity of lappet in males), behavior (wing coordination during the frontal display of male tragopans), and electrophoretic (number of unique alleles among the different species of tragopans) data. I accepted the tree that grouped Satyr and Western as closely related species and grouped Temminck's, Blyth's, and Cabot's tragopans together, with Temminck's and Cabot's being more closely related to each other than either was to Blyth's. I proposed that the prototype of tragopans probably had their origin in the eastern Himalayas. There were probably two major dispersal events; one population dispersed into central and south-east China and the Himalayas provided a corridor for the dispersal of a second population. Due to geological events in the Himalayas and China, these populations further split and eventually evolved into the extant forms. / Graduation date: 1992

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Acadia University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Acadia University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.