Pheasant Rearing Under "' Broodies.'' 191 



of much general interest, and it is largely with the hope of 

 stimulating one or more of them to give us their experiences, 

 that I have embarked upon this short account of my own, for, 

 as will be seen later, I myself, am anything but an expert in 

 the subject in hand. 



This, in fact, is the first season in which I have en- 

 deaxoured to raise Pheasants, etc., on a moderatelv large scale. 



Hitherto, I have, in "most seasons, reared a brood or 

 two without any difficulty, or the losing of more than a stray 

 bird here and there, and began to think that the rearing of 

 fancy Pheasants was a very simple, not to say profitable 

 proceeding ! 



With this conviction firmly planted in my mind, I 

 calculated, basing my calculations on averages from other 

 season, that if I "set" say, 150 eggs, I could count pretty 

 certainly on 120 to 130 pheasants fully reared. 



Li!;e tl: old woman of 'the fable I was in fact already 

 counting; up \\\; "chickens" and congratulating myself on 

 virtuous industry being well rewarded. For the pheasants 

 were quite a side line, and had to be worked into a day already 

 well filled in with other labours in these strenuous times, and, 

 I think, anyone who has raised pheasants on any scale will 

 adariit that it is not exactly an arm-chair pastime, especially 

 when, as in iny case, one is not provided with special outfit, 

 but has to improvise as one goes along. 



I will now describe my various ventures, winding up 

 with the causes to which I attribute iny failures. 



Vf'vTIirk No. I — My own sitting (Broody, Silky-Wynndottc cross). 

 My first venture, to get my hand in as it were, w;is with a sitting 

 of Silky and. Silky cross bantams which, I -merely record here for com- 

 parison's sake. These having at tlie moment no other place available, 

 I " set " in a pigeon loft (wooden floor) and unfavourable as these con- 

 ditions would appear every, egg hatched out and all save one, which fell 

 a victim to a hawk, were safely reared. (Of course, wlicn hatched I 

 removed the chirks to a coop outside). 



A dozen eggs " set " and 1 1 chicks safely reared was quite an 

 auspiciou'^ beginning I 



Venture No. 2.— (Set in Stable). 



Broody: Black Silky- 14 Golden I'heasants (from my (»wn birds). 



