IN PRAISE OF THE GROUSE 9 



the experiments appear to have been conducted care- 

 lessly, and have, so far, proved useless. It was about 

 the year 1870 that Mr. D. D. Black, of Kergord, 

 endeavoured to establish grouse at the head of 

 Weisdale Voe. A quantity of trees were planted at 

 the same time to afford shelter to the birds ; but the 

 situation did not suit the Norway firs, and they con- 

 sequently perished. At last one pair of grouse nested, 

 however, because three young birds were caught upon 

 Sandness Hill by a woman who carried them to Dr. 

 Scott, of Melmby. In 1882, Mr. John Harrison of 

 Windhouse, in Yell, procured upwards of forty grouse 

 from Scotland for the purpose of turning down ; but, 

 unhappily, almost all the consignment perished on 

 the way, and only a single pair of birds was set free at 

 their destination. These birds nested, and were joined 

 in 1885 by five additional pairs. They lingered for some 

 time on Yell, and tenanted the island in 1890. In Unst 

 a female grouse nested in 1886, but the eggs proved 

 unfertile, and the species became locally extinct. -Mr. 

 Harold Raeburn, to whom I am indebted for my present 

 information, considers that there is no reason why 

 grouse should not become perfectly well established 

 in Shetland, if sufficient trouble were bestowed upon 

 the experiment. The birds would have to face some 

 drawbacks here as elsewhere : e.g. the dense popula- 



