7f)0 



PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE RUFFED GROUSE 



as body tfiiijx'raliiic and rale uf l)reathinj;. llic prcal iiifgularilN of heart aclinn and llii' 

 vital capacit) of the heart to coin])eiisatP for adverse environmental change, is indicated by 

 the standard deviation with respect to the \ariabilitv of the rate of heart beat. 



In these tests of grouse the number of heart beats per minute I sexes combined I averaged 

 342.6 and 350.5 at 65°F. and 40°F. respectively for birds on food, and 301.8 and 288.0 re- 

 spectivelv for fasting individuals. 



Statistical methods described by Baten^ for calculating data were used to measure the vital 

 relationship between the .physiologic variables where x = heart rate per minute; y = body 

 temperature; and z = respiration rate per minute. By this means the significance of the rela- 

 tionship and the amount of dependence each variable has upon one or more of the others can 

 be demonstrated. 



Calculations of the various coefficients"'*" for both feeding and fasting grouse are presented 

 in tables 106 and 107. 



T\RLK 106. CALCULATION OF AMOUNT OF DEPENDENCE BETWEEN PHYSIOLOGICAL 



REACTIONS OF FEEDING ADULT GROUSE* 



♦Average cage activity. 



TABLE 107 



CALCULATION OF AMOUNT OF DEPENDENCE BETWEEN PHYSIOLO(ilC\L 

 REACTIONS OF FASTING ADULT GROUSE* 



*Average cage activity. 



("omparisoii of the differences between averages for the three physiologic reactions for 

 both fasting and feeding birds indicates the following t-values of significance: 



2.63 — Heart rate 



2.07 — Body temperature 



3.59- Respiration rate 



These data support our biological understanding of the intimate iiiterplav of these physio- 

 logic factors. Since the coefficients are all positive and highly significant, either when related 

 individually to each other or when all are related together it niav be stated that a higher heart 

 rate is intimately related to a higher body temperature. Thus when body temperature increases 



