APPENDIX F 93 



reduced amount of work and no more ; hence the insufficiently digested 

 fragments of rice and dari grain. In the wild bird old age is often 

 indicated by the size and wear of the grains of quartz in the gizzard. For 

 example, an old cock will have some small pieces, but a far greater number 

 of smooth-worn large pieces. 



On October 2nd the droppings continued to show that the food was 

 broken up, both dari, rice, and heather shoots, but not in all cases sufficiently 

 for complete digestion. 



On October 3rd all seed and grain food was cut off, and only heather and 

 green food were allowed to A and B. 



Cranberries which were given both whole and chopped in pieces were 

 not touched. 



On October 5th birds A and B were being fed on heather and green, 

 food only, and they besran to pass far more bulky and well-formed 



J Heather 



droppings, amounting to a third more than before, and 01 larger and green 



food. 



calibre. 



The bird B, a young cock Grouse, died on October 7th after having j^ath of 

 survived complete abstinence from stony grits for twenty-one days. firstbirdB - 



The post - mortem examination of this bird showed no immediate cause 

 for death, and no really pathological change except some inflammation of 

 the caeca, and some Coccidiosis. A great many coccidia were found 

 in the duodenum, stomach, and caeca, as well as in the main gut. mortem 



, 11- results. 



The pancreas was hypersemic and congested, as was also the intestine. 



But the Coccidiosis did not seem sufficiently severe to have caused death alone. 



All the other organs, heart, lungs, and spleen, liver and kidneys were 

 normal. The gizzard, however, was very small and very horny within, the 

 lining being more resistant than in any old, wild bird. The organ still 

 contained a good deal of grit and food. 



Death must have been accelerated by the diminished digestion and absorp- 

 tion of food which resulted from the reduced intake, for the bird's appetite 

 appeared to keep pace with its capacity for grinding food up in Con . 

 the gizzard. This is a point which bears upon the conditions affect- clusions - 

 ing a wild bird in time of heavy snow. Then the Grouse probably undergoes 

 ;in involuntary grit starvation, resembling that of the above experiment. But 

 the conditions would be worse, for the bird would have less food to choose 

 from, and certainly less soft food to eat. 



