114 The Ruffed Grouse 



birch, are less palatable; the latter is not well distributed in good 

 grouse range, and both are relatively of little importance. 



The yellow, black, and paper birches are long-lived species. All 

 three are found abundantly in the climax or subclimax types of wood- 

 land and forest, mainly in the Appalachian and St. Lawrence plant- 

 growth regions of the Northeast.^ 



Paper birch finds its optimum conditions in the more northern 

 St. Lawrence zone in association with the spruce-fir type, while 

 black birch is more prevalent in the Appalachian area, particularly 

 its northern portion. Yellow birch is an important species in the 

 northern hardwoods type of the St. Lawrence region, and in the 

 beech-birch-maple-hemlock type of the Appalachian area. These 

 tliree birches practically never appear in pure stands, although paper 

 birch sometimes constitutes a high percentage of the crown species 

 mixture. They are all found in mixtures of both hardwoods and con- 

 ifers. Gray birch is a temporary, short-lived species that pioneers 

 on old field areas. 



Paper birch seeds in abundantly following burns and is moisture 

 loving but does not thrive in swamps. The yellow and black birches 

 seed in readily in the understory of rich, well-drained, upland wood- 

 lands but do not tolerate swampy soils so well. 



The birches are also used as food by the white-tailed deer, cotton- 

 tail rabbit, beaver, moose, and snowshoe hare. Since these mammals 

 all feed from the ground, the grouse receives no significant competi- 

 tion from them for the tree buds. 



Chemical Composition: ^ Yellow birch— fresh buds: water— 45.0 

 per cent; protein— 5.2 per cent; fat— 2.4 per cent; nitrogen-free 

 extract— 25.5 per cent; fiber— 20.4 per cent; ash— 1.5 per cent (Hos- 

 ley, 1938). 



Sedges (Carex spp.) 



Species utilized: Many, including the following seven that have 

 been specifically identified: C. crinita; C. flextiosa; C. gracillima; 

 C. intumescens; C. lupulina; C. plantaginia; C. tenella. There is in- 



^ Van Dersal, 1938, gives a map of the plant growth regions. 



^ The significance of these analyses, given when available, presumably lies in 

 showing nutritive values. Since little is known of the specific nutrition of the grouse, 

 no attempt is made here to interpret the figures. 



