244 



FOOD HABITS AND REQUIREMENTS 



per cent water. Roth in suimiipr arifl in fall the birds depend to some extent upon dew to 

 help meet the hod) needs. 



Snow may take the place of dew to supplement the winter diet, which is also reduced in 

 water content. 



Aspen 1 



Yellow 

 Birch 



Buds 



Leaves 



Buds 



Catkins 



CO 



■^ Cherry Buds 



"-^ Hop- Bu<l3 



•oO hornpeam „ , , . 

 c ^Catkins 



a. Apple Buds 

 "^ %^tV Fruits 

 raVll'" Leaves 



lO 



zo 



50 ^O 50 60 



Percent or Moisture 



80 



90 



Kir.l RK 21. I'KRCENT OF MOISTt RE PRESENT IN EK.IIT FOODS IMPORTXNT TO CROtSE IN THE 



SPRING 



The possible value of water as a source of minerals should not he overlooked. Not only 

 do sprinp and surface waters often contain a hiph quantity of inorganic salt*, hut Heller'^' 

 has found that rainwater, usually consider<'d pure in content. ma\ cnnlain iniiii'ral niatlcr. 



The question of the effect on lirood distribution of available free water is a bit confused. 

 Kinp'". in Miimesota. stated that the distribution of grouse broods during the summer period 

 was controlled by the presence of water. At first glance, records of brood distribution from 

 the Adirondack study unit in New York would seem to hear this out. since the great majorit\ 

 of the brood contacts were made in the several alder swamps which are scattered over the 

 area. On the Connecticut Hill and i'harsalia areas, however, broods regularly live through 

 the entire summer from a (piarter to a half mile fidin cither a stream or swamp. Kxtremely 

 dry summers have been experienced when even ilrw was lacking for considerable periods, 

 and, although moist areas existed within the noinial rniising range of tlic broods, little or 

 no use was made of them. The distribution of brood (iuslies in \ears of abo\c a\ciage ]ire- 

 ci[)itation and in dry years are shown in figure 22. 



The {;(inni-cli( lit Hill and F'harsalia areas arc ((irniioscd of (liscorHieited woodlots sur- 

 roundiMJ b\ btn>li ami open licl(l>. On the olliei- liand King's area in Miimesota. and the 

 Adirondack unit arc rnad<' up of more or less continuously forested land. Many of the brushy 

 areas here occur along the streams or in the swamps, .^ince these are the type of cover most 

 utilized by New York grouse during the summer period, it seems possible that their distri- 

 bution at least in the Northeast is not affected b\ water supply as much as by the associa- 

 tion of |)lants that are often found in moist areas. 



There seems to be little difference between broods and adults in this respect. Likewise dur- 



