36 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



often greatly increased opportunities for the addition of skins to a collection, 

 because it happens to be a month of very high mortality from 

 " disease." The birds are found and can be collected not only by the 

 keepers who are out early in the month in search of fox-earths, and who are 

 generally also burning heather about this time, but also later by the shepherds 

 who are constantly ranging the moor in the lambing time. During the last 

 five years there has been a great accession of Grouse skins to the Inquiry's, 

 collection in March with a very large proportion of males badly diseased, and 

 comparatively few birds in perfect health. Therefore, in the series of skins. 

 of cock birds representing the month of April, the great majority are very 

 backward. Healthy birds have still the old, rich, red, copper - coloured 

 throat of the winter plumage, and fresh - looking " autumn " feathers round 

 the neck, upper back, and mantle, while the winter and old autumn plumage 

 of the rump and back is bleached and faded. The backward birds are easily 

 picked out, as they have not yet assumed their " winter " plumage, and are 

 still mostly clad in old, worn autumn plumage of the previous year. If an 

 April bird has newly and thickly feathered legs and feet, it means, almost 

 certainly, that the " winter " plumage has been put on very late. The healthy 

 Grouse should now be moulting the feathers of the feet and legs, so that 

 bareness or lack of feathers becomes in them a sign of health in April,. 

 and thickly feathered legs a sign of sickness ; this is the precise contrary 

 of what has almost become proverbial on the moor, that bare legs indicate 

 disease ; though for the later autumn months the saying is quite true. 



In May the preponderance of cock birds found dead, and therefore of 



skins of cock birds in the May collection showing belated moult, is again, 



a large one. The healthy cock is still in his much-worn winter 



plumage, but on the head and neck some feathers of the new autumn 



plumage are beginning to make their appearance (PI. vi. and vn.). 



In June as a rule, the mortality amongst adult birds, due to Strongy- 



losis, is coming to an end ; but for the young chicks June and July are 



often fatal months owing to Coccidiosis. Late in June the healthy 



June. 



cock Grouse can at last be said to have changed into his com- 

 plete " autumn plumage." The winter plumage persists only on the 

 abdomen and lower breast, on the actual chin which is blackish with a 

 few white spots, and on the throat, where a few red feathers still remain. 

 The moulting of the quills and tail feathers commences towards the end. 



