Breeding. \ 9 



in the first instance, from eating broken eggs. I 

 have known birds to regularly eat their eggs one 

 year, and not to do so the following season ; yet one 

 can hardly suppose they have forgotten the habit. 



The birds should be regularly fed ; all will depend 

 on this. Feed early in the morning, and again to- 

 wards evening; use barley, wheat, rice, and very little 

 maize, for it produces too much internal fat. At times 

 give a little Chamberlin's Food. I do not say other 

 foods are not as good, but I have used this for nearly 

 twenty years. Add Spratts Crissel in small quantities^ 

 Put old mortar, cinders (of which the birds are very- 

 fond), sharp grit, or small gravel, in the pens, and 

 take care there is a dry dusting-place pheasants- 

 like to roll in the dust and bask in the sun. Occasion- 

 ally rake the aviary over, if the birds are not alarmed 

 by your doing so ; or, if the next pen is empty, and 

 you can let them run through into that, they will 

 jnjoy the fresh surface, and be undoubtedly the 

 better for it. The birds are very fond of freshly-cut 

 lawn mowings and other grass. 



When the eggs are collected, put them in fresh, 

 sweet bran, small end downwards; let them be turned 

 every day, but the less time they are kept before set- 

 ting the better. When you have enough eggs, prepare 

 to set them ; you should, before this, have provided a 

 quiet, light hen the best by far, for these small 

 pheasants are the cross produced between a silky 

 cock and a game hen or game bantam. Pure silkies 

 are very good, but they are apt to have scaly legs. 



C 2 



