often greatly increased opportunities for the addition of skins to a collection, April. because it happens to be a month of very high mortality from "disease." The birds are found and can be collected not only by the keepers who are out early in the month in search of fox-earths, and who are generally also burning heather about this time, but also later by the shepherds who are constantly ranging the moor in the lambing time. During the last five years there has been a great accession of Grouse skins to the Inquiry's collection in March with a very large proportion of males badly diseased, and comparatively few birds in perfect health. Therefore, in the series of skins of cock birds representing the month of April, the great majority are very backward. Healthy birds have still the old, rich, red, copper-coloured throat of the winter plumage, and fresh-looking "autumn" feathers round the neck, upper back, and mantle, while the winter and old autumn plumage of the rump and back is bleached and faded. The backward birds are easily picked out, as they have not yet assumed their "winter" plumage, and are still mostly clad in old, worn autumn plumage of the previous year. If an April bird has newly and thickly feathered legs and feet, it means, almost certainly, that the "winter" plumage has been put on very late. The healthy Grouse should now be moulting the feathers of the feet and legs, so that bareness or lack of feathers becomes in them a sign of health in April, and thickly feathered legs a sign of sickness; this is the precise contrary of what has almost become proverbial on the moor, that bare legs indicate disease; though for the later autumn months the saying is quite true.
In May the preponderance of cock birds found dead, and therefore of skins of cock birds in the May collection showing belated moult, is again May. a large one. The healthy cock is still in his much-worn winter plumage, but on the head and neck some feathers of the new autumn plumage are beginning to make their appearance (PI. vi. and vii.).
In June as a rule, the mortality amongst adult birds, due to Strongylosis, is coming to an end; but for the young chicks June and July are June. often fatal months owing to Coccidiosis. Late in June the healthy cock Grouse can at last be said to have changed into his complete "autumn plumage." The winter plumage persists only on the abdomen and lower breast, on the actual chin which is blackish with a few white spots, and on the throat, where a few red feathers still remain. The moulting of the quills and tail feathers commences towards the end
