276 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



case the combination of natural conditions is different, but 

 at least the study will be useful if it checks the tendency to 

 indulge in generalisations founded upon speculation rather than 

 observation. 



It became evident at the early stages of the Inquiry that 

 no Reports could be of value for the purpose of striking an 

 average for the year unless they dealt with a similar set of 

 conditions ; it was therefore decided to divide the whole Grouse- 

 producing area into a series of districts, each having common 

 characteristics in respect of latitude, rainfall, altitude, etc., 

 and then, by tracing the history of the Grouse stock in each 

 district from one year to another, to endeavour to find a solution 

 to some of the problems which are enumerated at the beginning 

 of this chapter. 



The Districts adopted for the purpose were those used by the 

 British Meteorological Committee, and embraced the following 

 geographical areas : 



Meteorological District 0. Scotland, North Caithness, 



Sutherland, Ross, Cromarty, Inverness. 

 Meteorological District 1. Scotland, East (Northern Half) 

 Moray, Banff, Aberdeen, Kincardine, Forfar, Perth 

 and Fyfe. 



Meteorological District 1. Scotland, East (Southern Half) 

 The Lothians, Berwick, Peebles, Selkirk, and Roxburgh. 

 Meteorological District 6. Scotland, West Argyll, Bute 

 and Arran, Stirling, Dumbarton, Renfrew, Lanark, Ayr, 

 Wigtown, Kirkcudbright and Dumfries. 

 Meteorological District 2A. England, North-East North- 

 umberland, Durham and Yorkshire (North Riding). 

 Meteorological Districts 7A and TB. England, North- West, 

 and North Wales Cumberland, Westmoreland, Lanca- 

 shire, Cheshire, Denbigh, Montgomery. 

 Meteorological District 4. England, Midland Counties 



Yorkshire (West Riding), Derbyshire. 



Even by making use of the foregoing subdivisions it was 

 found that many districts contained a very varied assortment 



