IN PRAISE OF THE GROUSE 15 



from a game dealer in England five pairs of live grouse 

 for my game preserves near Wittmund in East Fries- 

 land, as an experiment in the way of naturalising this 

 foreign game bird with us. My prospects regarding 

 this attempt did not appear to me unpromising, as I 

 could offer the birds on my sporting domain freedom 

 from disturbance, plenty of water, heather, and various 

 berry-bearing plants, and patches of buckwheat, to 

 all of which these birds are said to be partial. The 

 grouse were transported across the North Sea in 

 November. They were sent from Scotland via London 

 and Flushing, the consequence of which was that, by 

 reason of the long railway journeys, the birds suffered 

 very much, and succumbed, chiefly, I fear, from want 

 of water at any rate, I only received one pair alive 

 on their arrival at their destination. I had taken pains 

 beforehand to erect for them, in a thicket, an aviary 

 of wire netting, with canvas overhead, provided plenti- 

 fully with water and buckwheat, and with the wire 

 netting stuck full of sprigs of heather, partly so that 

 they might feel themselves more hidden, but chiefly 

 because I understand that heather tops are their chief 

 source of nourishment. After a few days' rest I had 

 one of the sides of the inclosurc raised, so that the 

 grouse might go out of their own accord. In the 

 spring of 1893 I was rewarded by coming across the 



