GROUSE IN CAPTIVITY 485 



leaving two, a cock and a hen, which were in different coops, the hen having been 

 used for a simple experiment. In 1907 the hen began to lay, and laid ten eggs. 

 Then the keeper put the cock into her coop and she laid nine more 

 eggs, but at longer intervals between each egg ; out of these nine eggs 

 she hatched four chickens. The remaining eggs were fertile ; but after the first four 

 were hatched she became restless and left the other eggs. Of the four chickens 

 hatched two escaped, and the other two grew up to be about three months old, 

 when they died. This experiment was due to the keeper's initiative ; pi,.gt; 

 but, having ascertained from it the possibility of hatching and rearing ^i"'^'^^- 

 birds on the experimental area, it was decided that similar attempts should 

 be carried out during the next season. 



During the year 1907, thanks to the exertions of those correspondents who 

 kindly supplied the Committee with hand-reared Grouse, far more birds were 

 sent to the Observation Area, and owing to the fact that there was no out- 

 break of "Grouse Disease" that year, and that no birds were required for 

 experimental purposes by the scientific stafi", the Committee had in February 

 1908 twenty-seven healthy birds : of these two were the old birds 

 sent in 1906. The remaining twenty -five birds consisted of eleven 

 hens and fourteen cocks. Owing to the cock birds fighting, three were killed 

 during the spring ; but precautions were afterwards taken to prevent deaths 

 from this cause. The stock had now increased to twelve pairs of birds, so 

 it became necessary to increase the number of coops. Six more large ones 

 were added, and six smaller ones, which have proved very useful for the 

 segregation of the birds during the mating season and also when the hens 

 begin to sit, for it has been noticed that when Grouse are confined in 

 coops the cocks will not leave the hens alone on the nests but are always 

 driving them about; as soon, therefore, as the hens commence to sit, 

 it is necessary to take the cocks away and keep them in coops by them- 

 selves. This year then the Committee had twelve pairs of birds. The hens laid 

 very well, and the experiment was tried of taking the early eggs and putting 

 them under foster-mothers but with fatal results. Two common hens poster- 

 of the ordinary yellow Orpington breed were set on twenty eggs each, '"° ®''^' 

 and one on seventeen : one hen hatched seventeen chicks and killed them all ; the 

 second hen hatched eleven and killed them all ; and the third hen ate all the eggs. 



Ten young Grouse from late laid eggs were hatched under Grouse mothers, 

 and successfully reared. 



