DISEASES OF GROUSE 121 



and the accompaniments thereof on 

 occasions. Rank, sapless heather, the 



effect either of neglect of timeous burn- 

 bag or of frost, and the absence of gritty 

 matter which is so essential an admixture 

 of grouse food. have, it must be admitted. 



not a little plausibility as a source of 

 grouse disease. In all likelihood bad or 

 inadequate sustenance is at least a strong 

 predisposing cause of disease : but here 

 again there are circumstances which seem 

 to militate against acceptance without 

 reserve oi hunger or unsound food as the 

 chief sources oi the trouble. Frosted 

 heather and verv a^ed heather divested 

 of nutritious qualities are. as a matter 

 of fact, avoided by grouse instinctively. 

 Further, disease has not been conlined to 

 the winter and spring months, but has 

 frequently manifested itself in the summer 

 and autumn when abundance of young 

 succulent heather is available. Disease 

 has also sometimes occurred with special 

 virulence after winters of remarkable 

 freedom from severe frost, and when no 



