CHAPTER IV
food of the red grouse
By Edward A. Wilson and A. S. Leslie.
Part I. — Observations on the Food of Grouse, based on an
Examination of Crop Contents.
During the period of the Inquiry the contents of several hundreds of loaded crops have been examined by the Committee with a view to ascertaining the various foods eaten by Grouse; the percentage compositions have Methods of
examination. been tabulated, as well as the total weight of food in the crops at examination, the various hours of the day, and by these means the Committee have come to several unexpected conclusions.
Table I. (p. 68) shows how the three hundred and ninety-nine specimens of crop contents examined are distributed as to locality and as to date, during the three years 1906, 1907, and 1908.[1] It is natural that by far the greater number should have been supplied during August and September; but the remainder are fairly evenly distributed.
Table II. (p. 69) is drawn up to show the average weight of the crop contents of birds killed at different hours of the day, from 6 a.m. to Time of
feeding. 6 p.m.
In the last right-hand column of Table II. will be found a general average for the twelve months, and it will be seen from the figures given that Grouse feed from morning until night, but that full crops are more commonly found in birds killed in the afternoon and evening, both in winter and summer, than in the morning and forenoon.
When a Grouse is in health the gizzard invariably contains food undergoing a grinding process throughout the hours of sunlight, even in the longest
- ↑ In addition to the 399 crops tabulated some 1,100 other crops were examined — these were obtained mainly from diseased birds in April and May, and from shot birds in August and September.
