82 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



stubbles and corn-stooks in very large packs in the autumn in September, 

 October, or November, according to the season and locality. They seem to 

 know that they are out of place, and finding themselves with a wealth of 

 food all round, away from their normal surroundings, are eager to fill 

 themselves as full as possible in a very short space of time, aware, by instinct 

 or experience, that they may be disturbed at any moment. One consequence 

 is, as the examination of birds has shown, that they eat as much husk as 

 grain, instead of picking and choosing as Partridges do, in a quiet and leisurely 

 manner. This difference in the crops of Grouse and Partridges that have 

 been feeding on the same ground is very noticeable. The one is filled to 

 repletion with indigestible and exceedingly irritating husks and a compara- 

 tively small amount of grain, while the other (the Partridge's crop) contains 

 grain only. 



The result in the Grouse is that the whole alimentary canal, from one end 

 to the other, is soon in an irritable and inflamed condition. The gizzard does 

 what it can to work up the husks and grain into a milky paste, but the 

 microscope shows that this paste is to a large extent composed of siliceous 

 spicules and small spines of an almost glassy hardness. This damages the 

 delicate mucous lining of the intestine. The result of the passage of this 

 irritating food is, first, an extra flow of digestive juices, secondly, an increased 

 activity on the part of the walls of the intestine, both as to movement 

 (peristalsis) and secretion from the stimulation produced by this form of food. 

 Thirdly, comes a point at which mucus is thrown out in large quantities to 

 protect the gut, and this continues and increases until the actual cells them- 

 selves are shed, and the protection breaks down. Finally, the intestine becomes 

 inflamed to the extent of ulceration, and this state will continue and increase 

 so long as the cause continues to act. 



Such irritation to the intestine of even a healthy Grouse, which already 

 has to deal with worms of at least two kinds, is bound to have an evil effect 

 if continued for any length of time ; moreover, in places where the corn is 

 left out owing to bad weather, or for other reasons, there is the additional 

 aggravation that the birds may be filling themselves with wet and sour grain, 

 not one whit the less irritating as regards the husk, which cannot be softened 

 by wet ; and no doubt the consequence of this is in some seasons noticeably 

 bad. 



Corn in moderation is probably not unwholesome as a food, and were it 



