The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-08-31 00:00:00

ACCLIMATISING GROUSE.

The attempt now being made by the Prince of
Wales to acclimatise Scotch grouse on his estate at
Sandringham, by sending thither a considerable
number of tine young birds from Abergeldie, will create
no little interest among sportsmen and naturalists.
Whether the attempt will succeed is another matter.
Black game continue to hold their own in Surrey,
Hampshire, Somer:etshire, and elsewhere in the south
of England, hub the redrouse is a very capricious
bird. He will only settle just where he likes, and it
almost seems that he has determined the exact
latitude and longitude in this comparatively limited
kingdom, within which he will permanently take up
his habitation. Scotland is evidently the country
he likes best, but he does well in many districts south
of the Tweed, and in Wales. The moors in Derby-
shire and North Staffordshire are also to his taste, and
ri,.; these are on the sumo parallel, or nearly so, as
North Norfolk, there is a good hope that the recently
imported birds will he loyal enough to take kindly
to Sandringham. Further south in England than
this parallel the red grouse seems disinclined
to settle, though there are many districts below it
which to the eye appear well suited to it. For instance,
there is Dartmoor and Exmoor in Devonshire, and
some fine moor ranges in Cornwall, but the experi-
ment, mere than once tried of acclimatising red
grouse on them has failed. The birds, indeed, have
held on for a few years, but eventually disappeared.
Perhaps it would be well if sportsmen natie
further experiments in the way of introducing
some of the varieties of American grouse, and espe-
cially the Pinnated grouse (cupid° cupidonta)
which is commonly known by the name of the
"prairie chicken." The bird is found in large
numbers over all the open wastes in Western America
and Canada, and evinces no disinclination to settle
near the haunts of men. It is the best eating of all
the American grouse, its flesh being brown, gamey,
and juicy when young. It is also very prolific, having
a dozen to fifteen in a brood. There would be no diffi-
culty in obtaining any number of these birds, but it
would be better to get them from Canada than from
the States, as they would be more suitable for our
climate.—Evening Standard.

An interesting presentation took place on Monday
at the Birmingham Workhouse. Two months ago a boy
named William Hughes, when bathing in the canal, got out
of his depth and sank into the mud at the bottom. At the
last moment, however, a youth named Sanders, hearing of
Hughes's danger. ran to the spot, plunged itio the water, and
with great difficulty brought the lad's inanimate form to the
surface. Desirous that such conduct should be suitably re-
warded, Lieutenant Carter, with olmmendable thoughtful-
ness, placed himself in conanunic,tion witti the officers of
the Royal Humane Society. The result was that the
society decided to honour Sanders with a certificate for
bravery, atid on Monday afternoon the certificate was
formally presented by the chairman of the General Purposes
Committee. In addition to the Humane Society's certificate,
a sum of money subscribed on tilre ground was presented to
Sanders.