Practical Game-Preserving. 204 



of grass land on the sloping side of a hill facing the south- 

 west. 



Twenty-four eggs were utilised, and fourteen chicks 

 were hatched and successfully reared. This result was 

 very encouraging to me, more especially as I had often 

 read, and had been told, that grouse would not thrive 

 without heather. The fourteen birds reared never as much 

 as tasted that plant up to the day they were marked and 

 released. Their food consisted principally of clover, 

 grasses, seeds, and Spratt's No. i Grouse Meal, and spring 

 water. A fortnight after hatching, the chicks became very 

 partial to ants' eggs (so-called), and partook of large 

 numbers. 



Fourteen grouse were netted and housed in a large 

 aviary, which was erected close to a fir-wood, with the 

 object of providing shelter. The aviary enclosed high 

 heather, bell heather, bleaberry, mosses, and soft grass, 

 intermixed with a fair assortment of other less conspicuous 

 moorland flora. The birds during the first week of their 

 confinement were very restless, and at intervals approached 

 close to the meshed sides of the aviary, making efforts to 

 escape by endeavouring to fly up, which it may be stated 

 they were unable to do, as each bird had the primary 

 feathers of one wing cut. When I was approaching with 

 food they hastened to conceal themselves under the long 

 heather shoots, and would not partake of the supply until 

 they imagined the coast was clear. 



To remedy their aptitude for flying up, a boarding of 

 wood was put around inside the enclosure, and against the 

 netting, to a height of 3ft. They became more contented 

 when this was accomplished, and soon settled down to their 

 new surroundings. I mention this experiment to prove 

 that the birds, if properly managed, will breed in cap- 

 tivity, because from that lot of birds I had thirteen eggs, 



