Clifton J. Whitehead, Jr.

Wing collections were used to determine mercury levels in bobwhite quail in Tennessee. Results of the assays indicated that the average mercury level in primary wing feathers was six times greater than the minimum acceptable limit established by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Further tests indicated that mercury levels in quail wing feathers were 24 times greater than those found in quail flesh. By comparison, mercury levels in quail were estimated to be safe for human consumption. The much higher mercury levels found in feathers, the consequent less margin for error in...

Hybridization of white-tailed and black-tailed deer was investigated over a three year period in Tennessee. White-tailed deer were placed in pens with black-tailed deer of the opposite sex, and hybrid deer were readily obtained. Hybrids were placed in pens with fertile, purebred white-tailed and black-tailed deer of the opposite sex. None of the hybrids produced young during their first year of life. During their second year of life, 50 percent of the hybrids produced young of which 66 percent were stillborn. Previous to this, all white-tailed, black-tailed hybrids were reported to be...

Contemporary conservationists are frequently faced with the problem of issuing special permits when there are more applicants than there are permits available. The objectives of this project were to develop a computer technique for handling the selection of eligible applicants and to test its use and effectiveness in a fully automated computer system for handling drawings for special permits. Computer programs were designed to conduct the actual selection and to analyze results. A random interval sampling technique was used for selecting eligible applicants. The system was put through an...