118 The Ruffed Grouse 



and early winter, and to a lesser extent, as available, throughout the 

 winter and earh- spring. The leaves are a staple food in the late 

 spring and throughout the summer. 



Parts used: Fruit and leaves, both very important. 



Geographical importance: An important food in New York and 

 New England, except possibly along the southern New England 

 coast; of secondary importance from Pennsylvania southwards. 



The hawthorns are tall shrubs found on old fields, along wood- 

 land borders, and in poor pastures, where they are often weeds. 

 They are valuable as ornamentals for their flowers and fruits, but 

 many species are subject to fungus diseases. The fruits are eaten by 

 many species besides the grouse, including the bobwhite, ring- 

 necked pheasant, at least thirty-six other species of birds, the gray 

 fox, white-tailed deer, and cottontail. Their competition for this 

 food, however, is unimportant to the ruffed grouse. 



Chemical analysis: (Fresh fruit): water— 75.8 per cent; protein— 

 2.0 per cent; fat— 0.6 per cent; nitrogen-free extract— 20.8 per cent; 

 fiber-2.1 per cent; ash-0.8 per cent (Hosley, 1938). 



Beech {Fagus grayidifolia) 



Seasonal importance: Important only as a fall and early winter 

 food but probably one of the most highly selected of all preferred 

 foods of the grouse ( see Fig. 28 ) . Its importance, however, is weak- 

 ened by its irregular availability. It also appears to be considerably 

 less important in recent years than formerly due to the changed char- 

 acter of the beech composition of many farm woodlands ( see "Ef- 

 fects on Food of Cultural Operations-Lumbering"). These points 

 are well illustrated by Kuhn's (1940) records of grouse stomach 

 contents from Bradford County, Pa., the first week of November, 

 1911, the first week of December, 1919, and November 2-9, 1938. 

 The volume of beech nuts in the food was fifty and nine-tenths per 

 cent, seventy-two per cent, and zero, respectively, for these years. 

 There was a complete failure of the beechnut crop in 1938. The 

 trend toward elimination of the "worthless" old beech "wolf" trees 

 in woodlands has the effect of eliminating the only mast-producing 

 trees of the species. Nevertheless, the beech remains a very impor- 

 tant source of grouse food. Birds that have been feeding extensively 

 on beechnuts have a superior flesh flavor. 



