iv. PHEASANT REARING (PART III} 57 



Full-winged pheasants in an aviary are invariably 

 more restless, and retain their wild shy nature longer 

 than do wing-clipped birds, the latter being always the 

 first to settle down to their changed surroundings; 

 and naturally, the tarner the birds, the more numerous 

 will be the eggs they produce. 



A not unusual method is to catch up a sufficient 

 number of young birds in the rearing field to stock 

 the aviary for the egg seasons of the two following 

 springs. They are taken as late as possible, the best 

 birds alone being selected, and they are turned loose 

 after their second year, other young birds filling their 

 place. 



Though this practice insures tame birds, and saves 

 the trouble of catching the wild hens in the spring, it 

 necessitates daily attention to the aviary all the year 

 round, and has a (ireat disadvantage in that the 

 ground is much tainted long before the laying season 

 begins which is not conducive to fertile eggs. 



Wild pheasants caught up fresh every January 

 from the woods are certainly healthier and more 

 prolific than is ever the case with young birds taken 

 from the rearing field and penned since their infancy 

 on the same soil ; and I strongly recommend wild 

 pheasants alone for an aviary. They should be cap- 

 tured by the middle of January. They are then put 

 down on unsoiled ground, and have ample time to 



