292 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



Grouse — one exception) ; (2) that a moderate number of Strongyli are present (one 

 hundred to one thousand), Bacillus coli may or may not be present in the organs 

 (twenty-one Grouse); and (3) that when great numbers (over one thousand) are 

 present, Bacillus coli has invariably been found in the liver or other organs 

 (twenty Grouse.) 



It has not been found jDossible to estimate the numbers of living Bacillus 

 coli present from the number of colonies which grew on the tubes. Some- 

 times, of course, we were able to make a rough guess. In some control birds, 

 both diseased and healthy, which were examined some considerable time after 

 death, the innumerable number of colonies on the tubes showed that Bacillus coli 

 was at that time swarming in the tissues. But with living birds, even when very 

 large numbers of Strongyli were present, the colonies of Bacilhis coli were few 

 in number, one or two to ten or a dozen, and rarely more than thirty. 



It is not claimed, of course, that the number of living Bacillus coli, in the 

 liver for example, is exactly proportional to the number of Strongyli. 

 strongyfi With as fcw Strongyli as two hundred and thirty-five. Bacillus coli 

 not exactly has been found (one colony in one tube), and again with as many as 

 t^onai! nine hundred and forty-five, Bacillus coli has been absent. Doubtless 

 other conditions which afi'ect the health of the bird also intiuence the 

 permeability of the intestinal wall to the contained bacteria. 



We have already shown that Strongyli are almost constantly present 



in the ceeca of wild Grouse believed to be perfectly normal, and certainly of fair 



weight and in good general condition. In a few so-called healthy 



The mim- » o fe J 



bersof birds they may be present literally in thousands. We were informed 

 present in bv Dr Wilson that Strongyli are more numerous in diseased than in 



healthy , , i , ■ , 



and dis- healthy birds ; and we have ourselves examined a number of diseased 

 birds brought in dead, and useless for cultural purposes, and collected 

 the worms from them. 



Table IV. shows that the number of Strongyli present in diseased birds, 



though varying considerably, is greatly in excess of that found in the great 



majority of normal birds. In a small minority of the presumably 



strongyli healthy birds the numbers were as large as those found in many 



present in _ _ _ 



diseased of the discased birds. It is, of course, imjjossible to be certain that 

 healthy tliesc exceptional birds were not really sufi"ering from the early stages 



birds. 



of ''Grouse Disease." The two (Nos. 60 and 61) with the largest 

 numbers came from a moor on which " Grouse Disease " was prevalent at the time. 



