The Red Grouse Hand-Rearing. 115 



cases out of ten result in abandonment. It is necessary, 

 therefore, that great precaution be exercised in obtaining 

 e gg s > whether from a distance, or from one's neighbours, for, 

 instead of being quite fresh, it is possible that the eggs 

 of several disturbed and partially incubated nests will be 

 supplied, with the result that much time, trouble, and many 

 opportunities will be lost. As it will rarely be desirable 

 to rely on eggs from one's own birds, the importance 

 of attending to this matter will be easily seen. The distance 

 from which the eggs are brought need not be great, provided 

 they be the produce of birds which do not in any way 

 intermix with those whose numbers it is intended to aug- 

 ment or improve. Grouse are laying, of course, much earlier 

 in the season than pheasants or partridges ; consequently 

 the arrangements for rearing must entail somewhat more 

 trouble ; besides, the habits of the birds must be taken into 

 account in greater degree. The rearing of these game birds 

 is, however, the exception rather than the rule ; consequently 

 large permanent preparations are not required, and what 

 may be termed temporary makeshifts take their place. 



The first consideration must be the site for the breeding 

 operations. If there are facilities for rearing the birds on 

 the open moor or the borders of it, so much the better, and 

 provided there is a keeper's lodge or cottage within handy 

 distance, it must be utilised. If, however, this be not forth- 

 coming, and recourse must be had to some part of the 

 home farm or an outlying one, then the best place to choose 

 is some warm sunny spot, either in the corner of a field 

 or the side of one of those broad, rutted, rough tracks called 

 " roads," through the farm, or the bank beside a plantation 



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