STOCK 477 



it is true, be due to disease, but is equally likely that the absentees have 

 become naturalised elsewhere. 



But the most striking evidence on the subject is furnished by the manner 

 in which a moor, which has been entirely denuded of birds, will recover its 

 proper stock in such a remarkably short time that the only possible Rapid re- 

 solution is the immigration of birds from elsewhere. A good example demided*^ 

 is furnished by the figures in column 5a on p. 456. On the moor ™°°i'»*- 

 in question the bag in 1866 was three thousand four hundred and two 

 Grouse, in 1867 it was one Grouse. The gamekeeper in charge of the ground 

 gave the following evidence on the subject: "In 1867 there were only about 

 four Grouse left on this moor of 10,000 acres, in 1868 there were only two 

 broods. The four birds appeared to be pined and very weak. I could not 

 make out whether these bred, or whether the two pairs had come from some 

 other place. I would rather say that these birds were so badly affected that 

 it was not possible that they could recover." 



Even assuming that the four birds that were left on the ground had 

 been the parents of the two broods referred to, it would have been quite 

 impossible for them to have been the sole progenitors of the large Result 

 stock which rapidly reappeared and yielded bags of 530 Grouse in duefto'im- 

 1870, 1,621 in 1871, and 3,548 in 1872. There can be no doubt that ™ig»'«-tioa- 

 the restocking of this moor was due to immigration of birds from elsewhere, 

 and this restocking would have been even more rapid, had it not been that 1867 

 was a fatal year throughout the length and breadth of the borders, and there 

 were few Grouse surviving in the district. In a " disease " year a moor in the 

 Highlands of Scotland sometimes appears to be cleared of every bird, yet, if 

 the feeding is good, it is fully stocked again within two years. 



The conclusion is irresistible that, where Grouse are migratory, it is 

 quite unnecessary to use artificial expedients for the purpose of . 



chano-iuo; the blood. One heavy snowstorm will do more to shuffle change of 



* ° , , -^ . blood rni- 



the pack than the introduction of hundreds of purchased birds, necessary 



where 



Moreover, it often happens that imported Grouse do not remain Grouse 

 on the ground where they are turned down. Gamekeepers, it is "^ 

 true, will always profess to recognise the foreign strain for many generations 

 by some real or imaginary peculiarity of plumage ; it is difficult to 



. . Imported 



verify their statements except by marking the birds, and wherever birds apt to 

 marking has been resorted to it is found that the imported birds have 

 wandered far afield. 



