PHEASANTS IN COVERT AND AVIARY 



of the older school, hold an opposite opinion, and what is 

 more they can bring forward some very good arguments 

 to substantiate that opinion. Many old keepers base their 

 arguments against penned or pheasantry eggs, on the result 

 obtained from what I may term the primitive system of 

 penning Pheasants ; pens about the size of a good pigsty 

 immovable as the hills, and generally as near the kennels 

 as possible, being a few of the obvious characteristics of 

 that system. Perhaps for one year or two the results were 

 extremely good, next year only fair, and after that failure 

 and the consequent condemnation of all penned eggs. Now, 

 the great arguments for wild eggs are that the birds are 

 stronger and healthier because they are living in a natural 

 state, that they are not coddled or pampered up in any way 

 whatever, and as a result, the chicks from eggs laid by wild 

 birds have much more stamina than the others and so are 

 much less bother to rear. If these arguments are sound, 

 why do Pheasants not increase appreciably even when there 

 is no rearing? If they do, it is generally the result of years 

 of very careful nursing, with the addition of the warning 

 ' cocks only ' on the shooting days. The truth is that our 

 climate, more especially our northern Scottish climate, is 

 just a shade severe for Pheasants during the winter and 

 spring seasons ; they need special attention and feeding 

 at all times, and even with all this in some years the 

 young wild birds reared are few and far between. And 

 so I say that when my birds are penned I have them 

 directly under my observation. I can feed them and be 

 certain that they get what I want them to get ; I can 

 shelter them as I wish, and if I get a change of blood I 

 can be sure that I am getting the very utmost out of the 

 change. Simple enough things these, but difficult to make 

 certainties when dealing with wild birds. Then I can reject 



ii8 



