206 lOOl) II ABIT a AND REQUIREMENTS 



of the species of this faiiiih arc rarcl) taken. Tlie larger, more meaty seeds of ragweed 

 (Ambrosia artemisiijolia), an excellent pheasant food in New York, provided an entire 

 meal for one grouse, 1,525 heing counted. 



The Dogwood Family. The dogwood family iCornaceae) supplies fall foods chiefly, al- 

 though leaves and buds from species belonging to it are taken on occasion at other times 

 of the year. Fruits of this group furnish the tenth ranking fall food, being taken consistently 

 but usually in small amounts. Like the viburnums, dogwoods are largely pioneer shrubs, 

 most common in hedgerows and forest edges, although some are to be found in the more open 

 second-growth woodlands. The fruits of one of these, the bunchberry or dwarf cornel (Cor- 

 nus canadensis) is readily taken. Throughout the State fruits of the panicled dogwood (C. 

 paniculata) are the next most commonly sought food in the late fall and early winter. Un- 

 like most dogwoods which drop their fruits early, thickets of this species ofttimes yield some 

 seeds into March. 



Only two records stand out with respect to quantity consumed. One is of an Adirondack 

 bird which had picked up 182 fruits of that small conifer associate, the bunchberry; the 

 other is of a grouse from Delaware County, (N. Y.), which, on December 20, had eaten 

 226 of the light blue fruits of the much larger round-leaved dogwood (C. rugosa). 



Though our New York records do not indicate it to be widely distributed or much taken. 

 Weed and Dearborn''*'' believe that whenever the sour gum (Nyssa sylvatica), is common, its 

 blue-black acid fruits are relished by grouse. 



The Fern Family. Fern fiddleheads are among the signs of spring. Many of the species 

 of the fern family (Polypodiaceae), in addition, stay green all winter. The grouse, seemingly 

 always on the lookout for leafy items, manifest a peculiar liking for the late fronds of such 

 species as the evergreen wood ferns (Dryopteris s/iinulosa and D. marginalis). Such tough- 

 leaved species as the Christmas fern (Polysdchum acrostichoides) and the |)olypody (Paly- 

 podium virginianum) are also occasionally sampled. Only when matted down and covered 

 up by snow, do the grouse cease feeding on these, to return again as the evergreen fronds 

 are revealed by winter thaws. As spring brings out the fern fiddles they, too, receive a share 

 of attention. In fact, the wood ferns rate thirteenth in bulk among the foods of spring, fif- 

 teenth in fall, and thirteenth again in winter, a position of importance hitherto apparently 

 unrealized. 



The Bucknheat Family. Tasty leaves are supplied by the sheep sorrel (Riimex acetosella). 

 a member of the buckwheat family I I'olygonaceaol . Though taken throughout the year, they 

 are of greatest importance in the spring, at which time they rank fmnteenth among the foods 

 of that season. Unlike other members of the family, the seeds are rarely touched. 



The knotweeds (Polygonum), to the contrary, provide seeds only, there being no record 

 of their leaves having been eaten. Taken usual!) in small amounts, remains of one or more 

 seeds were found in 83 grouse. 



The Saxifrage Family. To the list of carl\ spring food sources should be added the 

 members of the saxifrage family ( Saxijragaceac). The foamflower (Tiarclia cordijolia), the 

 trim Bishop's cap (Mitella diphylla), and the saxifrages (Saxijraga) all contribute leafy 

 bulk to the diet. Few grouse stooped to the arduous task of picking the tiny seeds. 



The Grape Family. In marked contrast to the taste for grapes ( Vilaceae) exhibited by 

 grouse in some jiarts of their range, in New York they are taken in smaller quantities than 

 one might expect. Largely because one species, the frost grape (Vitis vulpina) clings to the 



