222 



FOOD HABITS AND REQUIREMENTS 



groups rises in ciircL-t proportion lo the decline in insect food taken. Througiiout tiie en- 

 tire summer and o\er the whole State, only three other food-producers (buttercups, violets 

 and shadbush) t-ontribute more than 3.0 per cent for any one month, though locally others 

 may be favored. 



Based on the species which could be recognized, seeds of at least 36 kinds of sedges were 

 picked up by chicks. Some of these occurred but once or twice, but several appeared rath- 

 er regularly. Achenes of the slender-stalked sedge (Carex debilis var. rudgei) were iden- 

 tified from 84 stomachs. This species is common in woods, thickets and moist openings, 

 particularly in the Adirondack region. The seeds of the bladder sedge (C. intumescens) 

 were picked up by 35 chicks. These are the largest seeds of the New York sedges, being 

 about the same size as those of pin cherries. Perhaps because of this, rarely more than ten 

 to 20 were taken at a meal. The small triangular seeds of the green sedge (C. viridula) 

 were found in 26 stomachs and the flat lenticular grains of the graceful sedge (C. gracil- 

 lima) in 26. Those of the former were rarely taken in large quantities, but 1,200 seeds 

 of the latter, along with 400 seeds of the slender-stalked sedge, were identified from one 

 Adirondack chick collected July 16. 



Remains of raspberries and blackberries were found in 395 of the 540 chick stomachs 

 examined. Not only were they taken frequently but often in large quantities. V^'ith one ex- 

 ception, where a few leaves were sampled only, the fruit was eaten. 



Strawberry plants are sought as long as they are fruiting, but the leaves are seldom eaten. 

 Evidences of strawberries were found in 212 chick stomachs, occasionally in great quantity. 

 A Chenango County (N.Y.) bird collected on July 2, had eaten two whole fruits and enough 

 more to furnish 1,825 seeds. 



Other plant products to which the young turn their attention are those of buttercups and 

 the partridge-berries in June, fruits of shadbush and red-berried elder and maple keys in July 

 and later the seeds of jewel-weeds and smartweeds and the fruits of dogwoods. Red berries of 

 the American yew, thornapples, blueberries and seeds of witch-hazel may become locally im- 

 |)ortant. Blueberries are popularly considered very acceptable to grouse, but according to the 

 findings they do not constitute more than 1.4 per cent of the bulk of the food of either chicks 

 or adults during any month. They are taken rather frequently but rarely in quantity, for 

 though eaten by one out of every ten chicks in August, neither pulp nor seeds were prominent 

 either in the crops or the gizzards. 





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