278 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



was universally above the average and very healthy ; the bags were 

 excellent, especially in the north, and the stock at the end of the year 

 was well above the average in numbers and quite healthy. 



Remarks. A first-class season all round, large stocks, large 

 bags, no disease. The snowfall in May apparently did no harm, 

 though birds were sitting at the time. The unfavourable 

 reports from Easter Ross appear to have been exaggerated ; 

 but the poor heather growth in this district may be found to 

 have affected the health of the stock in 1907. 



190726 Reports. 



Weather. An uneventful season. In the early spring the weather 

 was open except in the Highlands of Inverness-shire, where there was 

 a good deal of snow in the late spring (breeding season), normal in the 

 north, wetter in the south ; August wet, September fine ; mild open 

 winter. 



Heather. In the north reports of heather growth were good, but 

 damage by spring frosts was reported. In some places autumn burning 

 gave better results than spring burning. Further south the heather 

 growth was not so good ; in Badenoch the heather was blighted where 

 the drifts lay long ; the bloom was late and poor, and the heather seed 

 did not ripen very well. 



Stock. At the beginning of the year the stock was above the 

 average in numbers and healthy ; but the breeding season was 

 extremely bad, both nesting and hatching, owing to cold and wet. 

 There was much destruction of chicks by floods, a good many second 

 broods and many late broods ; from Ross-shire two nests were re- 

 ported as having hatched after August 12th. There was little mortality 

 from disease (sixteen birds sent for examination from seven Report 

 centres). 1 The stock on August 12th was a good average and very 

 healthy ; the bags were above the average, in some places abnormally 

 good, especially in Strathnairn and Badenoch. The stock at the end 

 of the season was a good average and healthy. In Badenoch an over- 

 stock was left. 



Remarks. A bad breeding season followed by a bumper 

 shooting season, this year furnishes an example of how a healthy 

 stock may survive unfavourable weather conditions, probably, 

 however, the big stock left from 1906 helped to equalise the 

 losses in the breeding season. The mortality from disease was 



1 Vide map, 1907. 



