OBSERVATIONS ON THE FOOD OF GROUSE 



69 



the gut proper, and the crop is left almost empty. This has given rise to 

 the view that Grouse only feed once a day, and that in the evening. 



Heather [Calluna vulgaris), as is well known, is the ordinary food of the 



TABLE II. — Weight in Grains of Crop Contents in which the Hour of Collection was given 



FROM April to November inclusive. 



Hour of 

 Collec- 

 tion. 



6 a.m. 



9 „ 



10 „ 



11 „ 

 Noon. 



1 p.m. 



2 „ 



3 „ 



Weight of Crop Contents of each Bird 



in Grains. 



(April to November.) 



No specimen 



1,8 . . . 

 3, 18, 19, 4, 4, 20, 9 



18, 2, 16, 27, 20, 14, 3, 13, 24, 40, 28, 

 36, 43, 34, 11 



12, 14, 2, 11, 18, 6, 7, 15, 21, 7, 1, 6, 

 15, 24 



18, 36, 62, 29, 32, 2, 3, 5, 13, 13, 18, 

 12, 19, 



26, 45 



50, 173, 98, 213, 334, 27, 7, 12, 17, 

 26, 18, 14, 2, 6, 8, 28, 52, 24, 48, 

 31, 1, 5, 68, 31, 32 



15, 1, 4, 4, 246, 50, 17, 32, 50, 43, 

 50, 46, 8, 4, 2, 43, 3 



8, 1, 1, 2, 1, 254, 66, 18, 5, 32, 23, 17, 

 7, 23 



37,93,114 



Weight of Crop Contents of 



each Bird in Grains. 



(December to March.) 



10, 10 . 

 No specimen 



20 . 



10 . 



No specimen 



120, 10 . 



No specimen 



70, 60, 20 

 110, 100, 80. 



180, 358, 200, 



369, 50, 380, 250, 320 



339, 429, 239, 369, 429, 599, 



280, 280 



150, 210, 200 



10, 349, 290, 20, 409 . 



adult Red Grouse. But twenty or thirty other plants are also eaten, often 

 in great quantities, and it is a well ascertained fact that Grouse that have 

 never set eyes upon a sprig of heather will live and flourish for years. 



