Vitamin A storage in wild quail and its possible significance

Livers of 445 wild bobwhites taken in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois in late fall and winter of 1947-48 were assayed for vitamin A. All contained vitamin A; but the amount in many was so low that it is estimated that 4% of the birds would have died directly from lack of vitamin A within 3 weeks or that as much as 42% might have been affected enough to make them die from predation and severe weather.