378 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



first showed itself during the hot weather in the month of July, 

 and that is the time that it is noticed each year, according to 

 keepers and shepherds. It is, of course, useless for Grouse- 

 feeding purposes." 



On referring to the foregoing extracts the reader will gather 

 that the damage is usually noticed between the months of 

 April and August. As will be seen later, when the life history 

 of the beetle is dealt with, these months are exactly those in 

 which the beetle may be presumed to be in the egg and larval 

 stages ; fully fed larvae are to be obtained in September, while 

 the mature beetle hibernates during the winter, and has been 

 noted on the wing in April and May (see extracts b and g). 

 They would presumably pair and lay eggs in one or other of 

 these two spring months, the egg state would only occupy a 

 few days at most, and the larva would feed during the whole 

 of the summer months. In most cases where the diseased 

 heather has been examined in situ the beetles or their larvae 

 (according to the time of year) have been noted as numerous, 

 and these observations form an interesting supplement to the 

 figures actually obtained by experiment. 



The districts from which damage from heather beetle is 

 most commonly reported are those situated on the west coast 

 of Scotland lying to the south of Oban. In Argyll, Ayr, Lanark, 

 and Cumberland the pest is well known, whereas on the exten- 

 sive moors in the northern and central Highlands of Scotland 

 it is practically never heard of. It would appear, therefore, 

 that the insect flourishes best in a mild climate with a high 

 average rainfall ; but it is curious to note that after a very wet 

 winter the beetles are not so numerous as after a dry one. 



With regard to the position of the ground affected there docs 

 not appear to be any rule, for the extracts show the damage 

 to be done on slopes which face all points of the compass 

 from north-west through west to south-east. Again, the age 

 of the heather liable to attack appears to vary, for while some 

 correspondents report that young heather is chiefly affected, 

 others note the damage as done to plants of from four to six 



