54 LETTERS TO YOUNG SHOOTERS LETTER 



meal, wheat, and dari, comes to 14d. a day. Assuming 

 that hard food is used during the months of January, 

 February, and half March, and again for half June 

 and July, till the birds are turned out of the aviary, 

 and that soft food is used for half March, April, May, 

 and half June, I make a total value of 10Z. 5s. 2c/. 

 These 100 pheasants would probably consist of seven- 

 teen cocks and eighty-three hens ; and, taking my 

 average of twenty-one eggs from each hen, I should 

 obtain 1,743 eggs at 101. 5s. 2d. in food, or a fraction 

 less than l^d. each egg. This is, of course, without 

 considering the expense of removing and repairing 

 my aviary, which, taking a term of ten years, I find 

 adds just another l^d. per egg which means that 

 I produce my own eggs at 3d. apiece or 11. 5s. 

 per 100. 



' If I purchased from a dealer, the very lowest 

 price I could buy good early eggs for would be at the 

 rate of 4L per 100. The dealer, however, has to keep 

 and feed his stock of pheasants the whole year round, 

 while the game preserver only makes use of pheasants 

 already on the ground for, say, six months the birds 

 being turned out when done with, and forming part 

 of the general stock, and coming into the general ex- 

 penses. The dealer has also to pay rent, probably a 

 heavy one, for his premises ; he has, besides, to pay 

 wages for his staff of men in charge, whereas in the 

 above account nothing is charged under this head, as 

 the keepers are naturally necessary to the estate. The 



