156 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



The gamekeeper writes as follows : 



" I am herewith sending you a Grouse cock which, I think, must 

 have ' gapes ' or something. His neck is very much swollen. This is the 

 third bird of the kind I have seen during the season. We are now seeing 

 diseased Grouse, at least birds having all the appearance of such. In fact, 

 taking all over I never saw worse feathered birds than those we get here. 

 They are especially poorly feathered on the legs." 



This was written at the end of September when the birds were in full 

 moult. This particular bird had still the old claws on, and two primaries 

 of each wing to shed ; and the feet, though apparently unfeathered, were on 

 closer inspection just beginning an excellent growth of young feathers. One 

 of its eyes was damaged. Attached to the bird was a note saying that it 

 was a diseased Grouse, notwithstanding that it was making a healthy moult 

 for the winter, and weighed 26 ounces. On dissection the swelling of the neck 

 was found to be due to a mass of loose blood-clot ; the thorax also was full 

 of blood-clot, and the bruising and tearing of the blood-vessels about the root 

 of the neck left no doubt that the bird had met with an accident. There were 

 no tapeworms in the bird at all, and no sign of disease of any sort. And 

 though the caeca contained a good many Trichostrongylus, there was no redness, 

 and the mucosa was quite healthy. 



(No 1841.) A cock Grouse, 18 ounces, found dead on arable land. April 

 1909, Perthshire. Two or three others had been found there lately, but in 

 this one, which was sent for examination, there was such profuse bruising and 

 so much effusion of blood about the neck and throat that there was no doubt 

 that the cause of death was accidental. Trichostrongylus, however, was very 

 abundant in the cseca, though there was no redness of the villi ; Davainea 

 was present in large numbers. 



(No. 1838.) A cock Grouse of 20 ounces was forwarded from Haddingtoushire 

 in April 1909, with two others, definitely showing signs of advanced Strongylosis. 

 This bird, however, had the lungs torn before death by pieces of broken rib, 

 and there was blood in the mouth and trachea. In the absence of any note 

 to the contrary this damage could be accounted for by the bird having been 

 injured by a dog when picked up alive. But, as the bird was found dead in 

 this condition, the damage probably occurred by collision with a fence or some 

 accident of a similar kind. 



(No. 1397.) A hen Grouse of 26 ounces found dead and in excellent condition, 



