132 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



which passed between the ribs and entered the lung had 

 completely healed, and its position was shown under the skin 

 only by a small blood clot which persisted. This bird must 

 have survived its most recent wounds for a week or two at the 

 least. 



In October 1909 a cock Grouse of 20 ounces was sent for 

 examination from Perthshire in very good condition. 



The following information was sent with the bird : 



" I enclose a Grouse which I picked up to-day. I put up 

 a pack of Grouse. This one rose a little after the others, and 

 after flying about 200 yards dashed to the ground, and when 

 I got up to it it was quite dead and blood flowing from its 

 mouth." 



Examination outside before opening revealed the fact that 

 the bird had been pricked by shot. One of the quill feathers 

 was cut through, evidently by a pellet, and there were marks 

 of shot in other quills. Blood was flowing from the mouth, 

 and an examination of the lungs showed that one of them had 

 been torn by shot so that many of the air-passages were full 

 of blood. But the blood liberated by the original wound had 

 clotted in the lung and saved the bird from immediate death. 

 Had the bird been allowed to rest until this lung and its clot 

 had healed and become firmly cicatrised it would perhaps 

 have recovered. Instead, however, it was flushed and forced 

 to take flight. This broke down the freshly formed clot, and 

 the bird died of secondary haemorrhage. There was in addition 

 to this a very large clot round the liver, showing that a pellet 

 had entered this organ also. This case is a very good example 

 of what has certainly been described in former years as the 

 sudden death of birds from acute disease, a disease which strikes 

 them down in the pride of health in full flight and excellent 

 condition. It is also a very remarkable case of long survival 

 after serious damage caused by shot wounds. 



Another case was that of an adult cock Grouse of 19 ounces, 

 found dead on January 3rd, 1908, in Argyllshire. 



This bird had been badly sprinkled with shot some time 



