THE REARED PHEASANT 215 



rather the branch of shooting demanding 

 the nicest judgment, most careful timing, 

 and highest degree of accuracy to attain 

 any proficiency in its practice. 



Apart from his undoubted quality as 

 a mark for the gun, the strongest claim 

 that the reared pheasant has on our con- 

 sideration is the comparative ease with 

 which he may be produced. A few woods, 

 a little cultivation, and a certain expendi- 

 ture of time, trouble and money, produce 

 with a regularity never attained by grouse 

 moor or partridge manor, pleasant days of 

 winter sport in thousands of places where, 

 without artificial aid, there would be little 

 or no sport at all. 



Now that the art of rearing pheasants 

 has long since passed the experimental 

 stage, it would really seem of little prac- 

 tical value to enter here into a long ex- 

 planation of the many details of the 

 rearing-field, although it is far easier to 

 lay down all the rules of the business 

 than to carry them into practice. 



The commonly accepted methods of 



