Interrelationships of Ruffed Grouse 197 



Table 8. 



The More Important Pkkdators of Ruffed Grouse in the Northeast ^ 



Species of Important as Destroyers of: 



predator ~ ^gg^" Chicks Adults 



^ "Importance" as used in this section is based on the relative number of grouse 

 destroyed by one predator as compared to other predators, and does not imply the 

 same significance as a limiting factor. See Chapter X for relative significance of all 

 factors. 



- Man is intentionally omitted as he is treated elsewhere. 



^ The horned owl does not touch the eggs but sometimes causes their loss by killing 

 tlie nesting female. The other hawks listed may occasionally do tlie same. 



ondary predators are of primary importance in local areas, and vice 

 versa. 



The question of the importance of the grouse in the diet of a given 

 predator, or of a predator as a destroyer of grouse, may be ap- 

 proached from two directions. Both are needed to bring out the 



