GROUSE IN CAPTIVITY 453 



putting them under foster-mothers, but with fatal results. 

 Two common hens of the ordinary yellow Orpington breed 

 were set on twenty eggs each, and one on seventeen ; one hen 

 hatched seventeen chicks and killed them all, the second hen 

 hatched eleven and killed them all, and the third hen ate all 

 the eggs. 



Ten young Grouse from late laid eggs were hatched under 

 Grouse mothers, and successfully reared. 



In the spring of 1909 a healthy lot of birds were left, and 

 after the sad experience of 1908 with foster-mothers it was 

 decided to let the Grouse hatch their own eggs. They nested 

 well and sat well ; but again the experiment was marred by 

 two misfortunes. One hen was frightened by a fox, and 

 injured herself so seriously in her efforts to escape that she was 

 found dead in the morning, and many of the nests being on 

 low ground were washed out and spoilt by heavy thunder- 

 storms just as the eggs were about to hatch ; still eleven 

 birds were hatched and successfully reared. Thus in all, 

 up to 1909, in spite of misfortunes, twenty - three birds 

 had been successfully hatched and reared on the experimental 

 area. 



In 1908 and 1909 a number of Grouse were received from 

 correspondents, and during both these years, and especially in 

 1909, a considerable number of birds were used for experimental 

 purposes. At the end of 1909 it was found that there were 

 more birds left on the Observation Area than the keeper could 

 attend to. Six cocks and six hens were moved to another 

 place where the conditions were far more artificial, yet 

 they did fairly well. With these birds the experiment 

 was again tried of hatching under foster-mothers, but 

 again it was not a success ; not one chicken being reared. 

 If foster-mothers are to be used experiment seems to show 

 that the ordinary hen is too clumsy ; bantams might be 

 more successful. 



The Grouse remaining on the Observation Area in 1910 

 numbered six complete pairs and a few odd birds ; these were 



