304 PHEASANTS 



which they have to face are hot sun, cold 

 wind, and the rat. Rats are the worst 

 enemies to eggs and young birds alike, 

 and will always make mischief unless kept 

 down with a firm hand. The duckling is 

 otherwise a tough little fellow, with an 

 inordinate capacity for stowing away 

 food. At six weeks old, the young birds 

 may be given their liberty on the water 

 that is to be their home, after which they 

 need no longer be given the run of their 

 appetites, the quantity of food that must 

 be given being determined by the natural 

 feeding available. 



After all the ingenuity that has been 

 expended on the making of duck decoys, 

 intricate in design, costly to construct 

 and maintain, it is interesting to find 

 that wild duck may be caught by far 

 easier means. Hard by the fine duck 

 decoy at Netherby, carefully planned 

 with its seven pipes of approved pattern, 

 there stands an unpretentious wire cage, 

 which any one could knock together in an 

 hour, using no more costly material than 



