THE HEATHER BEETLE 415 



From this list it will be noted that the blight has been met with principally 

 in the western districts ; but this may be due to lack of information from the 

 east, and it is hardly advisable at present to lay much stress upon the 

 distribution of "frosted" heather as indicated- by this correspondence alone. 



The following extracts from th,e correspondence may be interesting as 

 indicating what has hitherto been observed with regard to the extent and 

 nature of the ground affected, the time of year when it is chiefly noticeable, 

 and other points. The names of localities, and those of the proprietors and 

 keepers have, for obvious reasons, been suppressed ; but at the same time 

 the Committee would here express their indebtedness to all who have thus 

 contributed information. 



(a) " Diseased heather ' an acre in extent.' " 



(6) "First noticed about the end of August last. ... As there was no 

 frost at the time, it struck the keeper and myself as somewhat curious." 



(c) "(1) The rusty red is from ground which has become affected since 

 last October ; (2) The dark grey piece is from ground which was attacked 

 two years ago." 



(d) " There are great areas, and many patches, of this brown, withered 

 heather on the moor." 



(e) "I am sending two samples of heather for your inspection. I am 

 sending one of young heather, which has turned quite white and withered 

 looking, and is growing on the side of a hill facing the south-east. The other 

 sample is off a large stretch of level, wet, mossy land. It seems to grow till a 

 certain height, and then to die away." 



(/) " There are several patches of considerable extent over the whole moor, 

 which look similar to the part off which I took the heather I sent you for 

 examination. Should the disease spread to any great extent, it might become 

 damaging to the feed of the Grouse. ... I have seen no heather affected 

 which is under five years old ; all parts affected are from six years upwards." 



(g) "There is far more rotten heather on the low moors at this season 



than there was when I wrote to Mr , and on an adjoining property it 



was very bad this season, while it was almost unknown a couple of seasons 

 ago. In my opinion this spoilt heather will prove a very serious question 

 in the near future for the proprietors and tenants of Grouse moors." 



(h) " My keeper says it [i.e., diseased heather] was confined to the young 

 heather, and the old was not frosted at all. Also the west end of the moor, 



