LOCAL CONDITIONS AND HEALTH OF GROUSE 313 



In 1905, the year of the Committee's appointment, there 

 was less disease than there had been for many years, a fact 

 which at the time caused some disappointment, but which in 

 reality was of the greatest assistance to the Committee, since 



1696 



1897 



it enabled them to study the natural history of the normal 

 Grouse under the most favourable conditions. From that 

 year onwards to the close of the Inquiry the history of each 

 outbreak has been closely followed, and an endeavour has been 

 made to ascertain the predisposing causes of the epidemic. 

 No very serious outbreaks have occurred within the period of 

 the Inquiry, and the fact that the maps for 1907 and 1908 

 show a very large number of disease centres is due rather to 

 the more complete system of collecting information than to 

 the severity of the attacks. Had the same facilities existed in 

 1872, 1873, 1874, 1880, 1887, 1889, 1891 the probability is that 

 each of these years would have shown a very much larger 

 number of cases. Indeed, it is believed that since the principles 



