138 APPENDIX I 



Beginning with the year 1872 it will be seen that "Grouse Disease" was general 

 throughout the greater part of Scotland, and when it is remembered that only the most 

 severe epidemics were noted it may be imagined that the country as a whole was very 

 severely affected. The really disastrous year, however, was 1873, when the mortality was 

 so widespread that the stock was reduced to a condition from which it took years to recover. 

 What moors were not cleared of Grouse in 1873 were swept by the scourge in 1874, and 

 then there commenced a series of lean years during which there were few Grouse and little 

 disease. The first appearance of another outbreak was in 1878 when a certain amount of 

 mortality was reported, more especially in the south of Scotland. This district may have been 

 more liable to attack owing to its having been less severely aflected in 1873. The northern 

 moors also had not long to wait before they were visited by another outbreak ; in 1880 a sharp 

 attack was reported from Moray, Banff, Perth, and Forfar. 1882 and 188.3 were also bad 

 years, but after that there followed a succession of healthy seasons up to the record years of 

 1886 and 1887, when a very severe outbreak occurred in the south of Scotland. In 1889 there 

 was a widespread epidemic throughout the whole of Scotland, the disease being noticeably 

 severe in Forfar and Kincardine; the sickness lingered through 1890, and broke out afresh in 

 1891. From 1892 to 1898 the country was never free from disease, though the principal 

 centres of attack changed each year. Then followed two comparatively healthy years only 

 to be succeeded by further scattered outbreaks. 



In 1905, the year of the Committee's appointment, there was less disease than there 

 had been for many years, a fact which at the time caused some disappointment, but which 

 in reality was of the greatest assistance to the Committee, since it enabled them to study the 

 natural history of the normal Grouse under the most favourable conditions. From that year 

 onwards to the close of the Inquiry the history of each outbreak has been carefully followed, 

 and an endeavour has been made to ascertain the predisposing causes of the epidemic.^ No 

 very serious outbreaks have occurred within the period of the Inquiry, and the fact that the 

 maps for 1907 and 1908 show a very large number of disease centres is due rather to 

 the more complete system of collecting information than to the severity of the attacks. Had 

 the same facilities existed in 1872, 1873, 1874, 1880, 18S7, 1889, 1891 the probability is that 

 each of these years would have shown a very much larger number of cases. Indeed, it is 

 believed that since the principles of stock regulation and moor management have come 

 to be more generally recognised and practised, the conditions which gave rise to the 

 disastrous outbreaks of "disease" in 1867 and 1873 no longer exist to the same extent 

 as before. 



The deduction to be drawn from the study of the series of maps is that there is no 

 Grouse-producing district which can claim to be entirely immune from attack. Occasionally 

 an individual moor may show a clear record for a long period ; but even this is probably due 

 to strict control of stock and freedom from immigration rather than because that particular 

 piece of ground possesses characteristics which protect the Grouse stock from disease. The 

 only true test of freedom from disease is the dissection of the birds themselves. If it can 

 be shown by dissection that the birds from any particular moor are at all times free from tiie 

 Strongyle worm it may fairly be claimed that that moor is disease-free. But up to now 



' Vide Appendix G. 



