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THE RED GROUSE AT HOME The red grouse, which is tha object of all sportsmens interest before and aftci the twelfth, is the only British bird which is not known outside these islands, its nearest ally being the willow grouse. In Sweden it lives in a more or less domesticated condition. Though essentially a northern bird and most abundant in Scotland, the red grouse is also found in England on the higher hills and in Ireland. It is probable that the abundance of tlie red -grons, in Scotland today is largely to be accounted for by the elaborate and systematic manner in which it has been preserved. Everyone of Wcial importance, indeed; repairs in early August to hhe grouse moors of the north for n week o,r more at the butts, this being as much a part of the social program of Goodwood or Ascot. Incidentally, a large amount of money is spent upon the Upkeep of the moors, and upon creature comforts anil amusements during the month of August, when Uhc hills are purple with heather and ling. The pooler population benefit accordingly by the maintenance of grouse shooting, which is by no means Ji negligible feature of this form of sport, and onk which will always help to keep it alive, in the saiW way that foxhunting will always be supported I in the shires. All this has been achieved in spite of the! artificial methods of grouse rearing and the ravages that disease has made upon the birds themselves. Misconceptions as to its cause and treatments have prevailed for years, and it is only quite recently that a royal commission has investigated the Imat-ter, with on .the whole good results. In the columns of the SliootLig Times I have at diffC. times endeavored to emphasize the real ivfons for the prevalence of this scourge, which a now more widely admitted to be due primarily w artificial conditions, inbreeding, overcrowding, the extermination of birds of prey, and allied cumulative causes, which bring about conditions in the birds themselves that lay them open to the secondary cause of the disease, the existence of internal parasites which prey upon a system already weakened by external unfavorable surroundings, and make the red grouse an easy victim to the enemies within their gates, in this case the intestines or the whole body itself. This year disease is on the whole markedly conspicuous by its absence, for which, considering its effects in previous seasons, sportsmen should be sincerely grateful. As many of those who take part in a shoot annually have little or no opportunity of studying the habits and characteristics of the wild grouse during all seasons of the year, and the bird is of exceptional interest if only because of its endemic nature, a few notes on these heads will probably lie welcomed at this juncture. WHERE RED GROUSE IS FOUND. As I have intimated elsewhere in the Shooting Times the red grouse, like its congeners, the black grouse, capercaillie and ptarmigan, is only to be found where certain natural conditions prevail. In other words, it is a bird which frequents certain types of moor, which are largely dominated by the prevalence of heath plants, such as ling, the heaths and whortleberries and allied plants, all of which form extensive associations mainly composed of one or more types of these ericaceous plants. These afford food and sustenance for the grouse, and when they are wanting or are damaged and frost-bitten by abnormal conditions, or burnt at the wrong season, grouse suffer, and this is one incidental factor preliminary to grouse disease. Not only do the grouse live on highland moors, but lliey may be found also in more lowland areas where the same moorland conditions exist, even down to the coast. When not preserved the birds appear to be more healthy, but lighter and not so large as the birds that are found on preserved moors. They differ in color according to the character of the habitat, and the plumage in all cases is admirably adapted to suit the surroundings, being an excellent oxample of that protective coloration which characterizes the whole of the same bird group. Occasionally buff varieties occur, and several hybrids have been met with. Grouse feed on the young shoots of heather, ling, whortleberry and also on seeds of other plants or their shoots, and on grain, chiefly oats. They may be found occasionally in stubble or turnip fields. The grouse has a peculiar habit at dusk of sitting upon the tops of the stone walls that serve as fences in the elevated regions. Several birds congregate together in this manner and their calls may be heard at such vantage points all over a moor toward nightfall. This habit is turned to advantage by the poacher, who gets in a broadside, killing several brace at one shot. As a rule the red grouse is found in open tracts wit.ifjV rtes, rarely perching except on walls, sel-llom dn lrec" It is a shy bird, shunning the haunts man. p0. a great part of the day it hides rtway in the Veather, and only by its "hok, .hoU" is one niade nVUic ui iVa T,WA.uY,UtB; it gets UP vUU a whirr when disturbed and flies across ti,e valley, perchance to the next moor. At certain ti,nes the birds collect in covies and packs, and when this is the case it is difficult to approach tl!el- They must in fact be driven. The cock birds early in the morning are tonCi of perchiiB "Pon a mound or hillock aud uttgring their loud "er-cek, hek-hek, wuk, wuk, wukviiuy rise straight up in the air and come o;fj iaSlic same plait". EXPOSED TO MANY NATURNEMIES. The groui-e is exposed to vj.,y natural enemies, sucli as lnwks and oiAand birds of prey, their eggs to the crow or lifigpie, and to ground vefmin. But such toi as is taken by these furred or feathered police ir inbnsiderable, and if they were not in danger of exernlination grouse disease .would be less prifalent .ban it is, these native poiice, as it wer iolihjlii off only the weaker, diseased birds. Eggs an hid by the end of March in early seasons, but in some cases eggs may be found as late as June. The nest is made on the ground in the he.-ither as a rule, or close to a sheltering bouhU". or tuft of herbage. It is a hollow in the ground, lined with heather, moss, leaves and dried grass. In number the eggs vary from four to seven or nine, usually seven or eight. They are one and three-quarter inches long or more and one and one-third inches broad, oval, with one end more pointed than the other. They are pale olive, with dark reddish-brown spots and blotches, and the spots may meet so" that the egg is almost entirely covered with them. Sometimes the blotches arc a brighter red. The color is not permanent. The birds sit close and are not easily frightened from the nest. When the young are hatched the hen takes them from the drier parts of the moor to the wetter parts, where there is sphagnum and water. There is a great fascination about the grouse and grouseland. In the land of Burns and Scott one finds the most superb natural beauty and scenery that these islands possess. Not without some reason then is sport connected essentially with the highlands, the land of so many immortals. A. R. Hor-wood in Baileys Magazine .
