PHEASANTS IN COVERT AND AVIARY 



never be lost sight of. Adult male birds agree very well, 

 and will live in perfect harmony when kept apart from 

 the hens ; therefore anyone contemplating keeping Golden 

 Pheasants for the beauty of their plumage, can safely 

 purchase a number of cock birds to live in the same aviary, 

 and the most suitable food for both those and the hens 

 is maize (bruised), barley, oats, wheat, etc., and the birds 

 should be fed three or four times daily, with a little warm 

 food in winter. 



It is better not to provide perches for the young birds 

 until they are at least three months old, but adult birds, 

 likewise young ones, after the period specified, must have 

 suitable perches placed well apart, so that they will not 

 damage the plumage of one another, which they are very 

 apt to do, if allowed to roost too close together. 1 



Hybrids have been produced from Golden and common 

 Pheasants, but it would appear that the product of the 

 cross has nothing to recommend it, whilst it has the reputa- 

 tion of drawing other birds from the covert, a feature of 

 the most objectionable kind, nevertheless one that is of 

 paramount importance to the practical Pheasant-raiser. 



Typical specimens of Golden Pheasants, in perfect 

 plumage, can be obtained for about fifty shillings per pair, 

 others in a less perfect state for forty shillings per pair, but 

 a good deal will depend on circumstances, as the author 

 has had magnificent birds offered to him for very much 

 less than the prices quoted. 



To preserve the beauty of the plumage, it is necessary 

 to adopt measures, in the aviary, to prevent the birds from 

 sudden fright, especially at night-time. This can be done 

 by arranging blinds of thick green holland, so that the whole 

 of the interior of the aviary will be in complete darkness, 

 even during the brightest nights. The screens can be fixed 



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