16 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



or heather, which often matches in colour the yellow, brown, 

 and chestnut mottled down that covers their little bodies for 

 the first few weeks. When at last a chick is discovered and 

 lifted up in the hand, its first " cheep " is the signal for the 

 others to scuttle away out of their places of concealment, or, 

 if they are upwards of a month old, to make their effort at 

 escape by a short flight, after which they are apparently incap- 

 able of a second attempt. 



It is astonishing how little accurate knowledge we have of 

 the principal dangers to which the young Grouse is exposed. 

 The practical gamekeeper admits that many dangers exist, 

 and without weighing them too closely in the balance he does 

 all he can to mitigate each of them. He knows, however, 

 that in spite of his care there must be a certain percentage 

 of losses from one cause or another, and it is with some anxiety 

 that he proceeds to the moor towards the end of July to inspect 

 the condition of the stock. The result is sometimes unexpected, 

 often he finds the birds have safely survived the perils of youth, 

 and that the moor is well stocked with unbroken coveys ; at 

 other times he is perplexed to discover that the well-filled nests 

 and successful hatchings are represented by a few ragged broods 

 of two or three birds, and a large number of barren pairs. He 

 endeavours to account for the disappearance of the young 

 birds, and in his search for a reason he eventually hits upon 

 something which has some appearance of plausibility, and 

 frequent repetition soon places theory in the realm of established 

 fact. 



Migration is one of the commonest theories, and is supported 

 by the fact that few, if any, dead bodies are found on the ground. 

 The migration doctrine presents some difficulties, for the Grouse 

 in its earlier stages is not by nature a wanderer, and a brood 

 is usually found, at all events up to the end of July, not very 

 far from where it was hatched out. Then, again, it is difficult 

 to explain how on a large moor the young birds have departed 

 before they are capable of sustained flight, especially if none of 

 the neighbouring moors have received any noticeable addition 



