148 COVER CHARACTERISTICS AM) SHELTER REQUIREMENTS 



Whether the weather be siiiiin. cloudy or rainy seems not to affect materially the type of 

 undergrowth ciiosen i)\ iiroods I table 1451*. Open land and edge types, such as ""large herbs" 

 and the "combination type" are a little more likely to be used during sunny weather. There 

 may also be a small tendency for coniferous undergrowth to be more frequented during cloudy 

 and rainy days. Otherwise, the figures seem to vary so slightly as to represent a normal var- 

 iation in the number of broods present rather than any definite inclination towards the use of 

 one or another of the types as a result of the atmospheric conditions. 



As has been mentioned, grouse are apt to be more nervous on windy days. It is not sur- 

 jjrising, therefore, to find broods then deserting the open land types characterized by '"large 

 herbs" I table 146)'^ in favor of the other undergrowth types, all of which furnish more shel- 

 ter under such conditions. Though no test of wind velocity in the shelter of these tvpes in 

 comparison with that existing in more open situations has ever been made, it is likely that the 

 protection from wind there afforded is sufficient to keep the broods more comfortable. At 

 least no one of these seems to be particularly preferred in comparison with another |)rimarily 

 because of strong air movement. 



Use of Different Degrees of Slope at Various Ages 



Grouse lands, like the bird itself, are usually rough, often rugged. The energetic pioneers 

 cleared the more arable parts for farms and the partridge took what was left and still thrived. 

 Thus one would scarcely expect to find steep slopes and rough ravines, as well as the flat lands, 

 without their quota of birds. Here the plow and the axe were wont to wrestle less successfullv 

 with the varied woodland vegetation; the changes, thus wrought, more likely to break up but 

 not to destroy the habitat. 



Remembering these things, it still must be recognized that, were the cover equally good, 

 grouse might thrive better on one sloj)e than on another. Let us look first at what differences 

 the steepness of the slope may make. Here, again, the type of cover, rather than the rugged- 

 ness of the terrain, seems to be the most important factor. Even young broods are found on 

 steep slopes occasionally (table 1471'^ but level lands and those that rise gently are pre- 

 ferred. On the Coimecticut Hill area, where a special study of the slo|)e existence-brood use 

 ratio was made, a strong tendency for the young birds to favor (hit lands and moderate slopes 

 rather than steep hillsides was revealed. 



Because the brood records from this area alone number but 861. table 147 was made up 

 from all the broods contacted on all the study areas rather than from this one alone. On the 

 other three units the exact proportion of each slope was not determined, for such a project 

 Would be t<io time-consuming. From an intimate knowledge of each area supplemented b\ a 

 study of a\ailable topographic maps it seems that about 1.5 j)er cent of the land surface is flat, 

 some 65 per cent slopes more or less gently and 20 per cent lies on slec]) hillsides. Compar- 

 ing this uilh brood occurrence, we find the following: 



Degree of slope Proportion of each Occurrence of broods 



(in per cent) thereon (in per cent) 



Flat 15 27 



Gentle 65 64 



Steep 20 9 



• See Alipciiclix, |t. 811, 

 A Sec Ap|ien<Iii, |>. 812. 

 t See Appendix, p. 813. 



