n8 LETTERS TO YOUNG SHOOTERS LETTER 



(poultry rice is but dirt and husks and dust), boil it 

 by itself to the consistency of a tough pudding, let it 

 become cold by spreading it out thin on a clean board, 

 and afterwards incorporate it in a fine state with the 

 ordinary food of meal, egg, meat, lettuce, &c., just as 

 required for the feed. 



Do not give rice till the young pheasants are three 

 weeks of age, or it may cause constipation. 



When feeding young pheasants in the rearing field 

 always throw the food from behind the coops ; do this 

 quietly and quickly without whistling; the chicks wall 

 perceive the food fast enough, and, if you feed punc- 

 tually, expect it. The hens, if necessary, will soon 

 call their attention to it. When, however, your young 

 pheasants are located in the woods, you will be 

 obliged to whistle the birds to feed, or many of them 

 might not come up from their retreat in the brambles 

 and fern. 



If the coops are properly placed in rows, and are 

 thus retained, however much they are moved about, 

 you can commence feeding at one end of the back of 

 the first row, and thus proceed in regular order up and 

 down the rearing field, the backs of the coops always 

 towards you. 



If the coops are dotted here and there in the field 

 you will find, when feeding the hens, those not yet 

 fed will see you attending to their neighbours, and 



