NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 225 



that the head-quarters of this variety is somewhere to the north- 

 west of Great Britain. 



Dr Stirton exhibited specimens of Grimmia elongata (new to 

 Britain) from the neighbourhood of Glasgow, and Trichosiomum 

 littorale (Mitten) from Tigh-na-bruaich. 



PAPER READ. 



On Certain Aspects of the Grouse Disease. 

 By Professor John Young. 



Dr Young recorded the result of several observations he had 

 lately made while dissecting grouse, with a view to ascertain the 

 cause of death. He exhibited a portion of the small intestine, 

 completely plugged by a dense mass of tapeworms. He also 

 described the appearance presented by three other specimens of 

 grouse, which had died of the so-called grouse disease on a moor 

 in Argyleshire. In all there was extensive inflammation of the 

 peritonoeum; in three, more or less adhesion of the intestines to 

 each other and to the abdominal walls; in two, perforations had 

 taken place through the adherent surfaces, the length of the tract 

 from gizzard to anus being thus reduced. In these last two (red 

 grouse) tapeworms were abundant; of the other two (black grouse) 

 one contained only a single tapeworm, the other was wholly free 

 of them. The two species were further contrasted, in that the 

 intestines of the red grouse presented their normal calibre, their 

 muscular substance being softened (this being probably a patho- 

 logical condition, though possibly increased by post-mortem 

 change), whereas those of the black grouse were very much dilated 

 and translucent. Moreover, of these two the younger presented 

 the earlier stages of peritonitis, granules of lymph occurring in 

 patches over the surface. Dr Young considered these appearances 

 as supporting the view that the disease in no way depended on 

 the presence of the entozoa, but that the peritonoeal inflammation 

 was the true cause of death. Having had opportunity of examin- 

 ing fatal cases in different parts of the country, he had come to 

 the conclusion that the mortality is not dependent on local condi- 

 tions, but that the disease is the result of some general cause 

 operating equally on birds placed under very various conditions. 

 The mortality is, in fact, due to mal-nutrition, to a cachectic state 

 transmitted from parent to offspring, and predisposing the young 



2d 



