The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-22 00:00:00

A Selling Plate of 40 sous (Handicap); the winner to be
sold for 40 sous; about one mile.
Mr. H. Wright's Metallic, by Thortnanby—Mcestissima,
3 yrs, Bst 41b
Mr. T. Stevens's Laura, Bst 41b (Pearson) 2
Mr. Baxter's c, by Rattle—Lady Emily, 2 yrs, 7st 41b
(H. Jackson) 3
Mr. R. Porter's Evergreen, 3 yrs, Bst 101 b (Booth) 4
Betting—Even on Laura, 5 to 2 agst the Lady Emily
colt, and 7 to 2 each agst Metallic and Evergreen. The
latter made the running followed by the Lady Emily colt,
Laura being in the rear to the turn past the stand, where
the leader bolted, an example which was followed by the
Lady Emily filly at the next Win. The race was now re-
duced to a match between the favourite and Metallic, the
latter of whom made the remainder of the running and
won easily by four lengths. The other two trotted in,
both however having-gone tbilitftrei. The winner was
not sold.
The Nursery Plate of 50 soya (dandicap) ; winners after
Aug 14 (at noon) 71b extra; three quarters of a mile.
Mr. Marsh's Helder, by Amsterdam—Madame Wharton,
7st 10113 (R. I'Anson) 1
Mr. Jones's Spiteful, 7st 71b (Booth) 2
Mr. Wodson's Peninsula, 7st 71b (Viney) 3
Heather Bell and Hermitage also ran.
Sorrell (7st 71b) was weighed for by Peppler, and the
number hoisted, but the filly did not arrive on the ground
in time to start.
Betting-7 to 4 agst Heather Bell, 2to 1 agst Helder, 7
to 2 agst Peninsula, and 10 to 1 bar three. Won in a can-
ter by four lengths.
The Committee Stakes of 3 sovs each, with 25 added; two
year olds 7st, three Bst 101 b, four 9st 71b, five and up-
wards 9st 101 b; about five furlongs.
Mr. T. Ashmall's by Vedette—Lady Wilson, 2 yrs,
6st 41b (car. Est 51b) (£3O) (Peppier) 1
Mr. Clifford's Bumboat, 2 yrs, 6st llb (£3O) (Killick) 2
Mr. Metcalfe's Jewess, 2 yrs, Est 61b (£3O) ... (Prescott) 0
Betting —2 to 1 on Bumboat, and 7 to 2 agst Jewess.
Bumboat made running, followed by Jewess for about a
quarter of a mile, when the latter was headed by the Lady
Wilson colt, and immediately afterwards struck into her
heels and fell. The favourite retained the lead to the com-
mencement of the enclosure, when he was deprived of the
advantage by the Lady Wilson colt, who won cleverly by
three parts of a length. Jewess and her jockey were un-
injured. The winner was not sold.
The East. Sussex Handicap of 5 sovs each, 2 ft (to the
fund); about a mile and a half.
mr3.. yas.p6idsitst3,lsbv(ianme.p7iileb, e4xytrras,)
Mr. Wodson's Pevensey, by Vedette—Flying Duchess,
1
(Killick)
(Peppier) 2
Mr. Alwyn's Knight of Downe, 3 yrs, Est (Prescott) 3
7st 51b (inc. 71b extra))

(1).om the Edinburgh Courant.)
A correspondent in Morayshire says: —" I have never
seen so many deaths among
_grouse in any former year,
and I have no doubt that it will take a few years to get
clear of the disease—it will linger loss or more for two or
three years." Another correspondent writes us his opinion
at great length from Ballater. The following is an abridg-
ment of what he says —" The disease appeared about
the beginnig of July last season, but few birds compara-
tively speaking were affected by it till the April of the pre-
sent year, and from that time till June the deaths came
thick and fast. When the mortality first began I f and
the birds in good condition, but after a little time they
became poor in flesh. The disease was similar to what
we had seven years ago, and occurred about the same time
of year. The diseased birds are almost always collected
about springs, rivulets, and water-sides. In a time of
disease the birds do not hatch so well as usual. The
stomachs of the dead birds are full of tapeworm, and the
heart and liver discoloured. More cocks than hens have
died." The following letter, which is printed in full, is
from a person who is, and has been for a period of 18
years, head keeper on extensive moors in Aberdeen and
Banff shires. It was written two months ago:—" the
disease appeared first early in January, and carried off a
good many birds, but not more than we lost in the spring
of 1866. In the end of January the weather became mild,
and continued so throughout February, and during that
period we had scarcelyany disease. The month of March
was very stormy, the depth of snow preventing the birds
getting at the heather. They then nearly all left the high
ground, and on their return early in April, when some 1,
patches of heather began to appear, the disease set in again
with great virulence, and continued until the moors
were nearly cleared of birds. The consequence is
that on all our higher beats not a young bird has been
seen this season, so far as I know or can learn
from the shepherds. There are a few old barren birds to
be seen on the high ground only. On the lower beats a
few did nest, but they were affected by the disease. Some
hens were found dead close to the nest, and a few were
found dead on the eggs. In general the birds found dead
were in good condition and in fine plumage. I cut open
many birds. In some I found tapeworm to a greater or
lesser extent. The greatest number of tapeworms I found
in one bird was 23, and the worms being from 14 to 20
inches in length, and all side by side in ono part of the
intestines, filled the gut to such an extent that I thought
it impossible that anything could pass down. This bird I
got before it was quite dead. It was a hen bird, and not
at all lean. There were about a dozen eggs in her, well
formed, the largest of them about the size of a small pea.
Her plumage was beautiful. Other birds I have opened in
which I found no tapeworm, but in every bird I opened I
found the liver diseased. At the commencement of the
disease the birds found dead were principally cocks ; sub-
sequently they were nearly all hens. Taking it from first
to last, I believe we lost about an equal number of both
sexes. In the disease of former years the birds were in-
variably found dead along water courses, but this year we
found them over all the ground, and in most cases as if
they had died without a struggle, the birds being in a
roosting position, and always with empty crops. lam far
from thinking that tapeworm is the sole cause of the
disease, although it is very likely that the worm, when in
large numbers, may accelerate death in otherwise weakly
birds. Tapeworm is very common in August, even in the
very best birds killed. I cannot assign a cause for the
disease in grouse, nor do I think that any one has yet dis-
covered the real cause of it; one thing certain is, that it
always succeeds a year when grouse are very plentiful, as
they were last season. I have been head keeper here for
the last 18 years. I have in that time seen as severe
winters as the last was, and I have seen the heather
in as bad condition, and no disease, but I never saw
so many birds on the ground as we had last year ; but
disease attacked the birds the following spring, and this is
the fourth time I have seen these moors cleared of birds
from disease. The following aro the years in which it
proved, most fatal :<-1848, 1855, 1861, and 1867, and I have
no doubt but that we Shall have it again in 1873 or 1874."
We might quote from numerous other letters, but they
lead to no conclusion except the general one we had our-
selves arrived at a few months ago—viz., that whatever
the disease may be, and however caused, it is extensively
spread, and has been very fatal. All our correspondents
agree on one point, and that is, that the disease began last
year, but was neglected, or at least not thought to be of so
much importance as to demand immediate attention, which
(s to be regretted. If the birds were weakened by slight
disease in the spring of 1866, and then subjected to a hard
autumn's shooting, it was not likely they would be in good
condition to endure the severe winter and spring which
ushered in the present year. It was about the latter end
of February and beginning of March, as one of our cor-
respondents observes, that " the birds began to die literally
in hundreds, the moors being sprinkled with them." Some
correspondents of the sporting prints have contended that
the solo cause of death is tapeworm, but many of the
gentlemen who have communicated with us think it is due
to liver complaint, and from the descriptions of the dead
birds given by some of them we cannot help arriving at
the conclusion that they must have imbibed poison from
their food. Our Glonlivat correspondent says :—" The
livers of all the birds I opened were very diseased, and
crumbled away on being touched ; the lungs of a great
number of the grouse were also affected, and their bowels
in many cases were dreadfully inflamed." Another writer
tells us that " the cause of death appears to be partly tape-
worm, but in eight cases out of ten the liver seems to be
much diseased, and becomes rotten immediately after
death. The birds generally show very little appearance
of disease before death, which, I believe, takes place sud-
denly, or in a short time, as they have been seen to drop
while upon the wing and expire in a moment, as if shot."
The symptoms pointed out by our correspondents seem
to denote poison as the cause of death, and the fact of the
majority of the dead birds having been found near the
watercourses tends to strengthen this impression. if the
birds are poisoned, then, what is the nature of the poison ?
"It is atmospheric," says one of the learned controver-
sialists. "It is load poison," says another. "They are
not poisoned; they burst themselves with the young
heather," says a third. "No, they don't," exclaims a
fourth, "it is the sheep that are the cause of the mor-
tality." "You are all wrong together," says a fifth dis-
putant ; "the cause of the grouse disease is that the moors
are overstocked with grouse!" Each disputant, too, can
prove his case at least to his own satisfaction. Fortified
with his array of facts the advocate of lead poisoning will
not be put down ; it is of no importance to him that the
same facts are made to serve to support a totally different
theory. In grouse disease, as in everything else, many
men have many minds; and every man, as is natural,
asserts his own idea as the only true ono. But in the end
we believe our opinion will prevail, and we feel certain
that the particular kind of poison that has caused the pr.el-1
sent calamity will yet be discovered. Another point will
also come to be better studied than it has hitherto beters
en,
and that is how far the destruction caused by the shoo
affects the general health of the birds. It stands toorveear:
son, we think, that if a moor is industriously shot
there will be many wounded birds left, and the
ngraonudsedtohgast.
escape will be nearly frightened to death by
If so, it is only reasonable to believe thathe
scaucfeahtubraodbsrtooocldc
will yield bad progeny, and so weaken t
theory was se
stock of the moors. The lead poisoning
which
thoroughly demolished in the clever letterf
contributed to the Courant .on the 3dpeoraoJnusnetrlhaso twtrhtatet
it need not be again referred to.
on the grouse malady would. reqfuoirre
allto b
thee modest,
state-
or
at any rate not dogmatic,
be met by statements
merits in support of one theory ca l 'of another and a totally
opposite one. If the b
almost equally strong
iandw
canhal
supportt weather breentadenvtabnocreadevaesraalcavuersy
of the mortality, then we
any e
grouse disease,
severe winters which did not
h
while during mild weather the, disease
aogsr;,bwasebaeletnkknnoowwtnhtaot
prevail. As to the '`starvation
birds have been found deahaNavtihther
were apparently the finest thhnedi c rAo
Again,
if
nu: lase f
to
what
told on high authority that
" tapeworm" theory,
birds may have tape we
arel
and
health, and bo also gooyetw bbezttgceonnecrittulaltyin,
tghooo
can wo arrives t,
we "really
bu t stvhd°ar.tfl I,n ra
1 food.tkhnoouwgl; e
The thinkpr
present
ent known,
seasons o
nntinngFew of the moors have been
much,
anvderyonbrsieofmrer whichocon.flythgoestotiog
will be a
spared, ono
bhraavooe
bwhereeen mostf
ta r -
affected sportsmen
dTwhoosaermo
goorarstkiendotuor
see from
merly they obtained° tlNovaoendt,yan!
ought to have been c i s season e
oa
fs omn
osopra
notr ed
our reports that several
that
trtosmn
the young birds, as evna stretchesshtave tl
a shot has yet been fired.

A poor man in Preston has come in for a legacy
of a very gratifying character. For seven or eight
years he has been a pauper on the sick list, and about a
year ago, when his wife died,
he broke up his house and
was sent to the Preston workhouse, where he was main-
tained up to a recent period, when he received an inti-
mation that a "fortune" had been left him. The sum is
£6,000, which has been left to hira.by a female relative in

Wales.