THE DISEASE IX GROUSE. 89 



from those parts were perfectly good. I am not aware 

 that any naturalist has, as yet, given a satisfactory ex- 

 planation of the cause of the disease in grouse ; however, 

 to judge from the numbers killed in most of the seasons, 

 one would conclude that a fair stock of birds was left 

 for breeding. 



Various schemes have been proposed by sportsmen 

 and gamekeepers as remedies for getting rid of the 

 disease in grouse. Some have proposed to procure the 

 eggs from the moors where the grouse were healthy, and 

 endeavour to have them hatched on the moors where 

 the birds had suffered from disease. This sounds well 

 in theory, but I suspect the greatest difficulty would be 

 found to put it in practice, as grouse cannot be reai-ed 

 like pheasants or pai'tridges, under hens. A gunmaker, 

 who appears to be conversant with the moors in Scotland, 

 recommends that the gamekeepers should not destroy 

 the peregrine falcon, for this reason, that as the weak 

 and diseased birds are unable in their flight to keep up 

 with others, the falcon is certain to pounce on him, and 

 thus the healthy grouse would escape. Now as the 

 peregrine falcon is known to be a remarkably swift bird 

 on the wing, he would certainly find no difficulty in the 

 choice of his bird, and it is natural to conclude that 

 these sharp-sighted and keen birds of prey know well 

 by instinct to "pick the plums out of the pudding." 

 As an instance of this, when trying my dogs, on one of 

 the moors in Caernarvonshire, a peregrine falcon rose 

 from the heath, within a few yards of me, and on going 

 to the spot, I found he had just killed a fine full-grown 

 young grouse, and was feasting on his brains. As his 

 body was not mangled I had him for dinner, and much 

 regretted that I had not my gun to have shot this for- 



