CAUSES OF MORTALITY IN THE RED GROUSE 167 



was that suffered by the heart, which was much enlarged and swollen out to 

 twice its normal size by a great extravasation of blood in the muscular tissue of 

 the walls, both of the auricles and ventricles. The veins running in the wall of 

 the proventriculus were much engorged. The lungs were unhurt, and otherwise 

 the bird was perfectly normal. 



No. 1899 was a hen Grouse of about 17 ounces, found on July 23rd, 1909, in 

 Sutherlandshire, sick and unable to fly. It was in very poor condition, and heavily 

 worm-infested. But the chief cause of distress was a very large tumour Tumours 

 caused by an aneurismal-like rupture of the vessels in the inner walls of y U s s j^ t 

 the gizzard. The cavity of the gizzard was enormous, and the organ wound - 

 occupied nearly the whole of the abdominal cavity, causing complete compression 

 of most of the intestines intensified by the formation of adhesions due to 

 peritonitis and the stretching of the normal mesenteries over the tumour. The 

 tendinous and tougher portion of the gizzard had retained its normal size and 

 shape, but the fleshy part had become greatly distended. The tough lining 

 membrane was the part which had given way. 



No. 1177 is probably a case of a dermoid cyst situated in the neck, though 

 the cyst simulates the occasional result of a shot wound in which small 

 fragments of feather are enclosed in a caseous mass in the connective tissue 

 between the skin and the crop. The crop in this case was not damaged. Scraps 

 of feather formed the nucleus of two tumours 35 mm. and 15 mm. in diameter 

 respectively. The sebaceous matter, of a golden yellow colour, was in concentric 

 layers, enclosed in a thick fibrous envelope with innumerable blood-vessels 

 covering the outer surface, and supplying the cyst wall with blood. 



No. 1159, a hard fibroid tumour 1^ inches (45 mm.) in diameter, pro- 

 truding from the foreneck of this bird. The nucleus again was a fragment of 

 feather, and this occupied a small abscess cavity in the tumour with a sinus 

 leading to the outside of the skin. The tumour was covered by bare, rough, 

 and rather thickened skin, devoid of feathers, and resulted probably from a 

 shot wound. There was no connection with the crop. 



Various accidents may happen to the foot and metatarsus of the Grouse, 

 ranging from complete loss of the foot at the tibio-metatarsal joint D amage to 

 as in No 437, to the loss of toes at the metatarso-phalangeal joints, feet- 

 or at the various inter-phalangeal joints as in No. 970. 



Steel vermin traps will perhaps account for some of these cases, but in 

 No. 970 the appearance of the stumps of toes on both feet, to a different 



