700 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 



"William Wallace a grouse which was in a most emaciated condition, there 

 being hardly anything of it but skin and bone. He examined this, and 

 again found tape-worms, and also Dr. Cobbold's Strongylus. This being 

 so, they had now three sets of grouse which had died from disease ; but the 

 only actual fact before them was that the grouse were dead. In the case 

 of the first, though there were tape-worms, there was no evidence that they 

 were the cause of death. In the second case, the birds had died from 

 inflammation of the intestines, the cause of which was not quite clear ; and, 

 in the third case, they died of Strongylus. It would therefore appear that 

 what was called " grouse disease " must be either more than one disease, or 

 it must be a disease which would kill the victim in different stages. He 

 was himself disposed to think that there was more than one cause of 

 disease ; but up to that time there was no diagnostic sign internally to 

 show conclusively what those causes were. The gamekeepers were a class 

 who were properly supposed to know a great deal about natural history, 

 and they said there were certain outward signs which were sure indications 

 that birds were affected by the disease — they were, however, not compara- 

 tive anatomists, and perhaps their science generally was to be received 

 with some reserve. Taking as an instance the case of the ptarmigan, a 

 species closely allied to the grouse, it was found that in winter it had a 

 very large number of feathers upon its feet ; but as the spring advanced it 

 lost many of these in a natural way. The gamekeepers said that losing 

 the feathers from the feet was a sure sign that the bird was diseased ; but 

 as all kinds of grouse more or less lost these feathers about that time of 

 year, this indication of disease fell to the ground, and it had to be ad- 

 mitted that there really was no definition of grouse disease which was 

 acceptable either to the pathologist or to the helminthologist. The action 

 of ' Land and Water,' in proposing to send diseased grouse to M. Pasteur 

 for examination, had caused great excitement in some quarters, but he 

 would venture to say that, as it was impossible to keep these wild birds 

 healthy in confinement for any length of time (after undergoing the journey 

 from Scotland to Paris) the conditions would not be favourable for the 

 formation of an opinion of great value. What he suggested to the owners 

 of moors was that some professed bacteriologist should proceed to the 

 affected districts and examine the matter on the spot — at their expense, not 

 at his own. 



The President said that the Fellows would probably remember Prof. 

 Bell's remarks upon the subject last winter, and his exhibition of the actual 

 tape-worms which he had then found. They would not fail, therefore, to 

 be much interested by his additional very practical and interesting series 

 of remarks. 



Mr. J. G. Grenfell's paper " On New Species of Scyphidia and Bino- 

 physis " was read (supra, p. 558). 



The following Instruments, Objects, &c., were exhibited:— 



Mr. Bolton : — Bulhoclisete gigantea in fruit. 



Mr. Crisp : — Hooke Microscope. 



Dr. Crookshank : — Series of Cultivations of Micro-organisms. 



Mr. Eve : — Actinomyces from jaw of ox. 



Mr. Freeman : — Series-sections of the anatomy of spiders, worms, &c. 



New Fellows : — The following were elected Ordinary Fellows : — 

 Messrs. William Ball, Henry F. Dale, and George Day. 



