﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  153 
  

  

  lived, 
  apparently 
  in 
  good 
  health, 
  for 
  some 
  weeks, 
  but 
  gradually 
  

   died 
  off 
  — 
  the 
  last 
  about 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  July, 
  — 
  the 
  old 
  female 
  and 
  

   then 
  the 
  male 
  also 
  dying 
  without 
  any 
  perceptible 
  reason. 
  They 
  

   were 
  all 
  fat 
  and 
  in 
  good 
  feather. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  treatment 
  of 
  heather 
  and 
  grouse 
  ground 
  has 
  been 
  

   largely 
  written 
  of 
  in 
  sporting 
  volumes, 
  we 
  only 
  mention 
  it 
  here 
  

   from 
  the 
  naturalist's 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  — 
  viz., 
  to 
  illustrate 
  the 
  natural 
  

   and 
  undoubted 
  sequence 
  of 
  cause 
  and 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  species. 
  

   Neglect 
  your 
  ground 
  and 
  under-shoot 
  your 
  old 
  birds, 
  do 
  not 
  break 
  

   up 
  your 
  coveys, 
  encourage 
  old 
  cocks, 
  over-burn 
  or 
  under- 
  burn 
  your 
  

   heather, 
  preserve 
  your 
  Hooded 
  Crows 
  or 
  employ 
  lazy 
  keepers 
  

   and 
  trappers, 
  spare 
  your 
  birds 
  after 
  a 
  disease 
  year 
  and 
  leave 
  a 
  

   sickly 
  stock, 
  and 
  the 
  effects 
  will 
  soon 
  become 
  patent. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  rigidly 
  attend 
  to 
  your 
  ground, 
  kill 
  all 
  old 
  

   birds, 
  or 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  possible, 
  break 
  up 
  your 
  packs 
  and 
  coveys 
  

   determinedly, 
  day 
  after 
  day 
  if 
  possible, 
  and 
  make 
  sure 
  of 
  doing 
  it 
  

   by 
  constantly 
  knocking 
  them 
  about 
  and 
  mixing 
  them 
  up, 
  burn 
  

   say 
  one-tenth 
  of 
  your 
  old 
  heather 
  every 
  year 
  (having 
  care 
  as 
  to 
  

   localities 
  and 
  seasons), 
  slay 
  every 
  Hoodie 
  Crow 
  every 
  year, 
  for, 
  if 
  

   left 
  one 
  year 
  on 
  say 
  5000 
  acres 
  unharmed 
  — 
  or 
  on 
  50,000 
  acres, 
  as 
  

   in 
  many 
  deer-forests 
  — 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  enough 
  reared 
  there 
  to 
  prove 
  a 
  

   pest 
  to 
  every 
  other 
  area 
  around. 
  In 
  a 
  disease 
  year, 
  where 
  disease 
  is 
  

   local, 
  kill 
  every 
  bird 
  you 
  can 
  by 
  fair 
  means 
  or 
  foul 
  ; 
  clean 
  out 
  the 
  

   scourge, 
  and 
  your 
  neighbour's 
  healthiest 
  birds 
  will 
  soon 
  find 
  out 
  

   your 
  cleaned 
  ground. 
  Grouse 
  will 
  migrate 
  miles, 
  even 
  across 
  sea, 
  

   to 
  search 
  for 
  good 
  heather 
  and 
  healthy 
  conditions. 
  If 
  you 
  intro- 
  

   duce 
  fresh 
  blood 
  bring 
  the 
  hens 
  from 
  one 
  part, 
  the 
  cocks 
  from 
  

   another, 
  and 
  not 
  all 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  district, 
  unless 
  you 
  desire 
  to 
  

   see 
  them 
  get 
  into 
  companies 
  or 
  packs, 
  and 
  'go 
  back,' 
  or 
  go 
  off 
  in 
  

   search 
  of 
  better 
  heather 
  elsewhere. 
  We 
  do 
  not 
  ourselves 
  believe 
  

   in 
  introducing 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  birds 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  : 
  rather 
  

   would 
  we 
  do 
  this 
  gradually 
  and 
  steadily 
  year 
  by 
  year, 
  and 
  rather 
  

   more 
  hens 
  than 
  cocks, 
  unless 
  you 
  can 
  be 
  sure 
  of 
  your 
  cocks 
  being 
  

   all 
  young 
  birds. 
  We 
  could 
  mention 
  several 
  successful 
  renovations, 
  

   and 
  indeed 
  have 
  already 
  done 
  so 
  in 
  previous 
  volumes, 
  and 
  here 
  

   will 
  only 
  refer 
  to 
  one 
  other, 
  viz., 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  Grouse 
  (and 
  

   heather) 
  to 
  sand-wastes, 
  as 
  exhibited 
  upon 
  Tents 
  Muir 
  in 
  Fife, 
  or 
  

   to 
  islands, 
  as 
  successfully 
  done 
  in 
  Rum, 
  or, 
  turning 
  to 
  voluntary 
  

   immigration, 
  as 
  at 
  Gigha 
  Island, 
  near 
  the 
  Mull 
  of 
  Cantyre. 
  One 
  

  

  