Food and Water 117 



Hazelnuts {Corylus spp.) 



Species utilized: American hazelnut (C. americana), beaked 

 hazelnut (C. rostrata), the former probably constituting the bulk 

 of food produced by this genus in most areas. Selection between 

 species is probably determined by availability. 



Seasonal importance: Twigs and buds are taken mainly in winter 

 and early spring, somewhat in late fall; the nuts are taken mostly 

 in the fall. 



Parts used: Twigs and leaf buds, mainly nuts, and catkins to some 



extent. 



Geographical importance: Both species of hazelnut are used 

 throughout the northeastern region apparently with no marked 

 choice. 



The hazelnuts are medium-height shrubs found in dry or well- 

 drained thickets along woodland edges and in old fields. The nuts 

 are eaten by many species of mammals, particularly gray squirrels, 

 and by several of the larger birds. The browse is also eaten by deer. 

 Competition for this food is of little importance to the grouse. 



The Hawthorns (Crataegus spp.) 



Species utilized: The species of Crataegus, of which over fifty are 

 recognized in northeastern United States, are difficult to identify. 

 So it is not surprising to find that the fruits and seeds in crops and 

 stomachs of grouse are determined only to genus. Two species, 

 C. coccinea (Judd, 1905), and C. crus-galli (Judd, 1905; Hosley, 

 1938 ) definitely have been recorded as used. It is probable that most 

 species are taken as available. Those that hold their fruit on the 

 branches well into the winter, and those whose fruit remains plump 

 and firm on the ground until spring, are probably most useful. 

 C. crus-galli, which occurs throughout the East, is one of the most 

 widely distributed natives of the Northeast that holds its fruit well. 

 C. phaenopyrum in Virginia, C. canbtji in Maryland and southern 

 Pennsylvania, and C. arnoldiana in Massachusetts and Connecticut 

 are of more limited range. There are others, introduced as well as 

 native, that also are useful in winter and spring. 



Seasonal importance: The fruits are primarily important in fall 



