146 HILL BIRDS OF SCOTLAND 



the root the following season, whereas old heather is 

 not replaced for half a dozen years — in some cases a 

 much longer period — for the whole of the regeneration 

 must come from seed. Unfortunately, the heather-burn- 

 ing season is all too short. Unless special notice has 

 been lodged with the sheriff of the county, the legal close 

 of fire-raising on a moor is on 10th April, though the 

 extension permits of burning up to the 25th. There is 

 always a risk of destroying a certain number of eggs dur- 

 ing late burning. It is thus permissible to suggest that 

 more advantage be taken of the opportunities afforded 

 of autumn burning. It is legal to light a fire any day 

 after 1st November, and there are days in late autumn 

 when the heather will burn cleanly and without difficulty. 

 On a carefully-burnt moor no heather more than twelve 

 inches in height should be found. It is also important 

 to burn any long heather growing on the banks of burns 

 and near springs, so as to enable the young Grouse to 

 have access to water without difficulty. 



The weight of a Grouse in perfect health and condition 

 varies considerably. The average weight of the males 

 may be put at one and a half pounds, the females being 

 a few ounces lighter. The heaviest birds are said to come 

 from Caithness and from the South of Ireland : one from 

 the latter district turned the scales at no less than two 

 and a half pounds. 



Concerning the origin of the word " Grouse " little 

 is known. As far back as 1531 the name is found men- 

 tioned, with the spelling " Grows " : the word in its 

 present form — Grouse — being met with in 1G03. In 1678 

 the naturalist Willughby calls the bird the " Gor- 

 cock " and the "Red Game." The Scottish naturalist, 

 MacGillivray, sometimes speaks of the Grouse as the Red 

 Ptarmigan. 



The enemies of the Grouse are varied. The Eagle 



