486 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



In tlip. spring of 1909 a healthy lot of birds were left, and after the sad 



1909. experience of 1908 with foster-mothers it was decided to let the 

 Grouse hatch their own eggs. They nested well and sat weU ; but again the 

 Grouse as experiment was marred by two misfortunes. One hen was frightened 

 mothers. ^^ ^ £^^^ ^^^ injured herself so seriously in her efforts to escape that 

 she was found dead in the morning, and many of the nests being on low ground 

 were washed out and spoilt by heavy thunderstorms just as the eggs were about 

 to hatch ; still eleven birds were hatched and successfully reared. Thus in all, 

 up to 1909, in spite of misfortunes, twenty-three birds had been successfully 

 hatched and reared on the experimental area. And it must be remembered 

 that the work really was ex23erimental in every way, and every credit is due 

 to Parker, the keeper, for the way in which he has carried out the experiments, 

 for he had never seen Grouse till these birds were sent to him, everything 

 Parker's ^^^ ^'^ ^^ explained to him, and the birds were kept under the most 

 '^°'"^" artificial conditions possible, both as to environment and climate. 



In 1908 and 1909 a number of Grouse were received from correspondents, 

 and during both these years, and especially in 1909, a considerable number of 

 birds were used for experimental jKirposes. At the end of 1909 it was found 

 Change of ^^^^ there were more birds left on the Observation Area than the 

 ground. keeper could attend to, and it was decided that if further accommoda- 

 tion could be found some of the birds should be moved. Dr Paterson of the 

 Frimley Sanatorium kindly offered to take charge of some of them, and in 

 December 1909 six cocks and six hens were removed to the grounds of that 

 institution, leaving six pairs on Mr Pain's ground with some birds that were 

 being experimented upon. 



The birds that were removed to the Sanatorium were not put on such good 

 ground as at Mr Pain's, and the conditions are far more artificial ; but they 

 have done fairly well. 



The Grouse on Mr Pain's ground in 1910 were left to hatch out their own 

 eggs, and did remarkably well. The number of chickens hatched is given at the 

 end of this chapter. 



With those at the Sanatorium again the experiment has been tried of 

 hatching under foster - mothers, but it has not been a success ; not 



A seconcl » ' ' 



failure one chicken was reared. If foster-mothers are to be used experiment 

 with '■ 



foster- would show that the ordinary hen is too clumsy ; bantams might be 



mothers. ' "^ ° 



more successful. 



