iv. PHEASANT REARING (PART III} 63 



hand. When the pheasants are caught, they can be 

 brought within reach of the hand by means of a landing 

 net, and may be taken out through an opening in the 

 side of the basket that is at other times closed with a 

 small shutter. N.B. Line the basket with sacking 

 sewn in double. 



A large shallow box will answer almost as well as 

 a basket, but from its weight is somewhat awkward 

 to manage, and the birds are more likely to suffer 

 damage therein when captured. 



If many pheasants are required, as where plenty 

 are about, the cage trap may be used (fig. 10). If 

 you are quick you can extract the birds through the 

 opening with a hand-net without damage ; and six or 

 seven may be sometimes taken at once. 



ON FEEDING PHEASANTS PENNED FOR LAYING IN AN 

 AVIARY 



The most nourishing food you can give pheasants 

 is maize (i.e. Indian corn). They are fonder of this 

 than anything, and maize has the advantage that it 

 is not easily purloined by small birds; a sparrow 

 takes a long time to consume the contents of even 

 one seed. 



Maize is, however, too rich and heating a food to 

 regularly give penned birds that have no natural exer^- 

 cise, as it causes them to rapidly grow fat ; and very 



