96 The Ruffed Grouse 



utilize. While there are endless variations that might be analyzed in 

 relation to grouse habits, the major sky conditions are predominantly 

 sunny, cloudy, rainy, and snowing. 



Except for the spring, there are many marked variations in cover- 

 type use according to atmospheric condition. In spring, the prob- 

 lems of courtship, mating, and incubation probably have a leaven- 

 ing effect on quick shifts in cover types used. 



During fall and winter, the most notable deviation from average 

 on sunny days is a marked increase in use of slashings and a de- 

 crease in use of confferous cover. There is no significant shift from 

 normal during cloudy weather at these seasons, but precipitation 

 brings the most marked changes of all. In the autumn, rain brings 

 a strong shift to overgrown land and slashings while the heavier 

 woodland types are ^1 used less, though the decreases are dis- 

 tributed evenly. In winter, simny skies bring a very different shfft, 

 an immense increase in use of coniferous cover, and reduction below 

 average in all other types. Thus there are many extremes in cover 

 selection at these seasons according to the sky, more than at any 

 other season. Generally the trend is to the more protected areas in 

 stormy weather and to the more exposed (and food-producing) 

 coverts in mild weather. 



Spring is a season of more stable cover type use habits. The one 

 really significant deviation from the norm is the gi-eat shift to conif- 

 erous cover during snowstorms, and a corresponding reduction in 

 all other types. The only appreciable deviation in sunny weather is 

 a shift in use of heavy cover from conifers to mixed woods. Under 

 cloudy skies there is an increase in use of overgrown land and 

 conffers and a decrease in use of mixed woods. In the rain there is 

 a general reduction in use of all types from overgrown land to 

 mixed woods in favor of coniferous cover. 



During the summer the greatest deviations occur during rain- 

 storms, and these are very pronounced; a great increase in use of 

 mixed woodland (the heaviest protection of confferous woods is 

 apparently unnecessary at this season ) , and a large decrease in use 

 of overgrown land and hardwood woods. There is also a notable 

 shift to mixed woods and overgrown land in cloudy weather and a 

 reduction in use of slashing cover, and evergreen woods. On sunny 

 days the deviations are not so pronounced. 



At all times of the year there is a generally increased rise in the 



