34 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



generous subscriptions of just 360 gentlemen, and the loyal 

 co-operation of the experts and staff, who have given their 

 services either gratuitously, or for what was at most a nominal 

 consideration, have enabled the members of the Committee 

 to claim that the objects for which it was created have been 

 effectually attained. 



As the investigations proceeded, valuable first-hand 

 information was received from Moor-owners, Shooting- 

 tenants and Gamekeepers throughout the whole districts of 

 Scotland and England in which Grouse are to be found, 

 dealing with almost every point connected with the Natural 

 History of Grouse and the Management of Grouse Moors ; 

 and by the inclusion of sections dealing in detail with the 

 results of the opinions so collected, along with much original 

 matter from the able pens of Lord Lovat, the Chairman of 

 the Committee, and of the Secretary, Mr A. S. Leslie, the 

 Report claims to have become a Monograph of the Red 

 Grouse in Health and in Disease, rather than a Summary 

 of the Proceedings of a Departmental Committee of 

 Inquiry. 



The Natural History, Physiology, and Plumage changes 

 of the Grouse, as well as such matters as Heather-burning, 

 Stock Management, Methods of Shooting and other cognate 

 questions, are dealt with in this volume by expert writers ; but 

 space will only permit of a brief survey of a few of the more 

 scientific results of these investigations. 



The seasonal changes in the Plumage of the Grouse have 

 been studied in the past both by Mr J. G. Millais and by Mr 

 W. R. Ogilvie Grant, but points of difficulty have remained. 

 This study is complicated by the fact that the sexes moult at 

 different seasons in the year, the cock between April and 

 June, and again between August and October, and the hen 

 about two months later in each instance ; and that the 

 moults may be deferred for as much as a year or even more, 

 as a result of an attack of " Disease." Dr E. A. Wilson 

 prepared a series of many hundreds of skins of Grouse, illus- 

 trating the plumage changes in both sexes at every month in 

 the year, and under both normal and abnormal conditions ; 

 and his chapter dealing with the information to be drawn 



