THE LIFE HISTORY OF THE GROUSE 11 



frost was reported from every district of England, Scotland and AVales. For 

 three days in the third week of April the thermometer registered from 10 to 

 27 degrees Fahrenheit. The Committee requested its local correspondents to 

 make careful observations on the resulting damage, and the replies received 

 are given in the form of an appendix/ Several interesting facts were brought 

 to light — in general it was stated that the eifects of the frost had been disastrous : 

 but when the evidence came to be analysed the proof seemed strangely incomplete, 

 for very few reporters were able to state from personal observations that eggs 

 laid before the frost had failed to hatch. On the other hand, several accurate 

 observers reported that they had marked down eggs so frozen into the 

 materials of the nest that it was not possible to lift them out or to separate 

 them from each other, yet it was afterwards found that these eggs hatched 

 out healthy chicks. On April 13th six Grouse eggs were found in a nest 

 amongst heather when the temperature was 25 degrees of frost — and all six 

 hatched out. On another occasion, when it happened that some Pheasant's eggs 

 had been laid in a Grouse's nest, the Pheasant's eggs were the eggs which failed, 

 while the Grouse's eggs were successfully hatched. Many correspondents went so 

 far as to say that unless the frost was sufficiently severe to split the egg there 

 was no danger of their fertility l)eing afl'ected, and of very many gamekeepers to 

 whom the question was put very few could state that they had actually seen 

 a Grouse's egg split by frost. 



Actual splitting of the eggs by frost does occur, but is exceedingly rare 

 when the nest is in its customary position in heather. When placed in 

 the open probably the eggs are liable to suffer just as Plover's eggs did in 

 1908, and an extra hard frost will sometimes split them. Even very scanty 

 heather-growth retains the warmer air, and so shelters the nest and eggs from frost 

 and winds. Moreover, if sitting has not begun the eggs are generally more or 

 less buried in the material of the nest, so much so that it is impossible to count 

 them unless they are disturbed. 



Enough has been said to emphasise the statement that the eggs of the Grouse 

 are wonderfully tolerant of adverse weather conditions ; the fact is not sufficiently 

 well recognised, and because occasional losses occur there is a tendency among 

 gamekeepers to put down every failure of stock to some sharp frost or heavy 

 snowfall in the month of April or May. They often do not inquire whether as a 

 matter of fact any eggs were laid at the date when the frost occurred, they 



1 J'idf vol. ii. Appendix I. 



