DISEASES OF GROUSE 133 



tends to prove that liability to disease 

 does not vary directly with the number of 

 birds to the acre, but directly with the 

 food-supply of the individual bird. Pro- 

 vided the grouse has sufficient food, means 

 of digesting the same, and conditions 

 generally which conduce to the upkeep of 

 vitality, it is doubtful whether an increased 

 stock, and therefore an increased liability 

 to infestment by hurtful parasites, really 

 affects the health of the bird." 



The Committee proceed in their 

 Interim Report to substantiate this most 

 vital declaration by facts and arguments 

 which will doubtless obtain an even larger 

 measure of notice and stronger insistence 

 in their concluding Report. They refer 

 to the periodicity of grouse disease. They 

 have examined records over a period of 

 sixty years on many widely different 

 estates, and have found the cycle to com- 

 prise " the good year, the very good year, 

 the record year, the bad disease year, 

 the recovery, the average, and the good 

 average," — a regular sequence of events, 



