192 THE GROUSE IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE 



and draggled an appearance which was " latterly not seen in diseased 

 birds." l 



And again, quoting from "Land and Water" (1867), he says that "one 

 striking difference between the disease of 1867 and that of former years 

 was that the dead birds . . . picked up this season were so plump and in 

 such excellent plumage that they had the appearance of healthy birds ; 

 whereas in former years the diseased birds were most characterised by 

 disordered plumage and attenuated bodies." 1 



From this the Committee surmised that the disease which occurred in 1867 

 was Klein's pneumonia ; while in the previous records the birds had been victims 

 of Cobbold's Strongylosis. This provisional view was again borne out, by a 

 letter written by Mr Macdonald to the Times, May 12th, 1873, which ran thus : 

 " It seems that disease of an exceedingly virulent kind prevails in all parts 

 of the Highlands, and in a form hitherto unknown. ... In 1847, 1856, and 

 1865 the infected Grouse exhibited a ' dull disordered plumage and attenuated 

 bodies.' ... In June 1867 they showed good plumage, a healthy appearance, 

 and were perfectly plump, although the liver was soft and discoloured. This 

 year (1873) they are beautiful in plumage, but wasted to skeletons . . . and with 

 full crops." 3 This occurred evidently in later autumn, since mention is made 

 of the large quantities of berries in their crops. 



All these quotations seemed to point to the fact that in 1856 and 1865 there 

 was an excessive mortality from Cobbold's Strongylosis; whereas in 1867 there 

 was an epidemic of Klein's acute infectious pneumonia. 



In 1873, the birds which were seen late in autumn were presumably recovering, 

 thanks to a full diet of berries, or, if found dead, were to be considered cases of 

 Cobbold's Strongylosis killed by Klein's pneumonia. They may have survived 

 an attack of acute pneumonia which the Committee were prepared to believe had 

 raged that year, but they certainly were also victims of Cobbold's Strongylosis ; 

 and the fact that their plumage was in good order seemed to show that they 

 were at any rate sufficiently convalescent to complete the growth of their winter 

 plumage after moulting. 



Macdonald writes : " We have ourselves frequently picked up dead Grouse 

 perfectly plump, and in excellent plumage one season, and in the next season 

 found diseased birds with attenuated bodies and dull disordered plumage." 4 



1 Macdonald, " Grouse Disease," p. 127. 2 Ibid., p. 155. 



3 Ibid., p. 155. Ibid., p. 131. 



