30 THE NEW FORESTRY. 



from the wild birds. Of these, as far as is known, not half-a- 

 dozen have died from all causes put together. These young 

 pheasants are now loose in the covert, with the farm-yard and 

 turkey hens that have hatched them. There are no coops, 

 but the hens roam where they like, and the young pheasants 

 are all now roosting high up in the oak trees, flying from 

 branch to branch with the greatest facility. They are now 

 too large to pass through the two-inch wire work which sur- 

 rounds the covert, but they fly over into the neighbouring 

 fields, and return in the same manner. 



" Turkeys are not common in the neighbourhood, and 

 Mr. Ward's manager was only able to obtain three hens. One 

 of these hatched out twenty-two young pheasants, all of which 

 are now alive with their foster-mother loose in the covert, 

 roosting with her, not on the ground, but safely out of the 

 reach of all ground vermin, in the trees. Some of the farm- 

 yard hens employed last year were left out during the winter. 

 Their nests were searched for, and when found the eggs were 

 taken away and pheasant eggs substituted. The young 

 pheasants that were hatched under the domestic hens were, 

 in consequence of the absence of short grass and the prevalence 

 of the wet weather in the early hatching period, kept in coops 

 for a few days, but on the first opportunity removed to the 

 wired-in covert, where the ground is heavy and not remarkably 

 well adapted for pheasant rearing, which makes the success 

 more remarkable. Mr. Ward's manager, Mr. French, has 

 entered warmly into the utilisation of the system. As soon as 

 the young birds are removed into the covert he bends down 

 some of the branches of the trees towards the ground and 

 places a wooden hurdle against them, so that the birds can 

 readily ascend into the trees, and of this contrivance both 

 hens and young birds quickly avail themselves. 



" Now comes the account of the food which is employed. 

 The first day or two some custard is given the chicks in 

 addition to the general food which is prepared. This consists 

 of one boiled rabbit per day, the meat chopped up finely, the 

 scalding broth used to scald the fresh barley meal with which 

 the chopped meat is mixed ; to this is added a very consider- 

 able proportion of canary seed and dari. No spiced condiments 

 are employed, nor any dried stale animal food whatever. As 

 the birds advance their chief food is dari. How well the birds 

 have progressed, their flight to the higher branches of the oak 

 trees testifies, and they have got on so well that they are now 

 showing colour, and it is quite practicable to distinguish the 



