NOTES OX GROUSE-DISEASE 171 



proportion of emaciated rleshless grouse with protruding 

 breast-bone, was insignificant. Nor was plumage in this 

 case any more reliable as an indication ; it is, of course, 

 as just stated, always worn and dull at this season, 

 but keepers, when disease occurs in August, usually forget 

 this (or do not know it), and ascribe the washed-out 

 appearance of old birds exclusively to disease. From 

 these and other reasons, I infer that this particular form 

 of disease is no lingering illness, but one which cuts 

 its victims down sharply before they have time to lose 

 plumage or plumpness. 



In that year (1884), I was a little deceived by appear- 

 ances on the Twelfth, for at first birds seemed tolerably 

 numerous and signs of disease but few. Between three 

 and four o'clock I had fired my last cartridge (since we 

 had taken out less than an ordinary supply) and had 

 twelve brace of grouse, a teal, and a couple of golden 

 plover — a fair bag on that ground in an average year. 

 There remained some of the best hours of the day, and 

 I felt sure (had cartridges lasted) of getting twenty brace. 

 Certainly the reports about disease appeared to have been 

 exaggerated, but the next time we went over this ground, 

 the true state of the case became conspicuously apparent. 

 With no lack of cartridges and along day, I only managed 

 to put together five and a half brace, and these all old 

 birds. Of young broods, there were simply none. The 

 young had evidently been the first to succumb. Many 

 of the old were also affected, though without showing 

 much external evidence. 



So matters remained throughout August and September. 

 But the disease appeared to have been local, and had not 

 perhaps affected any very great extent of ground ; for, 

 during October, on the general movement or redistribution 



