ore, in my study, home ranges with nine or more peripheral
points were considered to be adequately studied.

Data for eighteen cottontails that had been studied sufficiently to
determine the full extent of their home ranges were used to calculate
minimum, maximum, and average home range by each of five methods (Table
1). The methods used by Schwartz (1941), Dalke and Sime (1938) and
Allen (1939) yielded results which were lower than any others,
presumably because only live-trap data were used and because straight
lines were used to connect traps in which cottontails were captured.
The "composite method" was considered the most reliable because it
utilized all data gathered for each individual and because with this
method the home range boundaries were drawn to enclose all areas in
which the cottontail lived and excluded all areas in which the
cottontail was not known to have been. The method used by Fitch (1949)
agreed most closely with the "composite method" and suggests to me that
the home range of animals can be estimated with reasonable accuracy by
this method when field observation or trailing are not feasible. The
composite method is superior to others for studying the home range and
movements of cottontails.

Of the individuals whose entire home ranges had been thoroughly
studied, nine males had home ranges of between 4.72 acres and 12.19
acres with an average of 8.92 acres; nine females had home ranges of
between 2.42 acres and 12.62 acres with an average of 7.76 acres. The
average size of home range for both sexes was 8.34 acres (Table 1).

TABLE 1.--HOME RANGES, IN ACRES, OF 18 COTTONTAILS ON THE
RESERVATION IN 1956, COMPUTED BY FIVE DIFFERENT METHODS.

=======================================================================
| | Number of | Average | Maximum | Minimum
Method | Sex | individuals| area | area | area
----------------------+-----+------------+---------+---------+---------
Allen (1939), | (M) | 9 | 2.00 | 6.78 | .30
Dalke and Sime (1938) | (F) | 9 | 2.54 | 7.20 | .35
and Schwartz (1941) | all | 18 | 2.27 | 7.20 | .30
+-----+------------+---------+---------+---------
| (M) | 9 | 4.01 | 12.89 | 1.05
Fitch (1947) | (F) | 9 | 5.68 | 11.50 | 1.84
| all | 18 | 4.85 | 12.89 | 1.0