The Red Grouse Diseases. 123 



learned ones have sought to pin its origin down to one, but 

 in nearly every case where anyone has advanced a theory 

 as to its probable cause, he has, as is the custom, declined to 

 take cognisance of any facts not tending to advance his 

 particular opinion. The nature of the disease is not clearly 

 defined, but it is evidently a parasitic disorder, which in its 

 symptoms greatly resembles the cholera of the human sub- 

 ject. Three well-known authorities on game birds and game 

 preserving all advance different causes for the malady. The 

 author of " The Moor and the Loch" attributes it to unwhole- 

 some food; the author of the "Birds of the West of Scot- 

 land" holds to over-protection as the cause ; while Mr. 

 Harvie-Brown attributes it, in a word, to over-preservation ; 

 and with Mr. Harvie-Brown we unhesitatingly agree. Over- 

 preservation includes overstocking and bad food. The 

 staple food of the grouse is the tops of heath and the fruit 

 of the heather berry, be the other articles which afford 

 it nourishment what they may. Consequently, if by over- 

 stocking we render the food unwholesome or unpalatable, 

 we have an excellent reason for the birds becoming 

 unhealthy. The heather on a moor may be affected 

 whether grouse are too plentiful or not. Heavy and con- 

 tinuous wet ; hard frosts and cold winds ; sheep pasturing 

 upon it. When, in addition to this, we have large quan- 

 tities of grouse to feed upon it, that it should speedily 

 go out of condition is reasonable and likely. The same 

 state of things may tend to aid the development of 

 diseases of similar nature to the liver fluke of sheep, 

 only occurring in the grouse, the body of which is by the 

 season and the state of its food brought so low as 



