218 OUR DOMESTIC BIRDS 



usually adjusted before long ; meantime those who may inno- 

 cently break a law find the situation very embarrassing. 



Management of pheasants in confinement. The breeding of 

 pheasants on a small scale may be carried on in any place 

 where suitable runs can be made for them. The first essential 

 is a somewhat secluded site where the birds will not be subject 

 to frequent disturbances. It should be near enough to the owner's 

 dwelling to enable him to keep watch of what goes on in its 



FIG. 173. Coops and yards for breeding pheasants. (Photograph from 

 Simpson's Pheasant Farm, Corvallis, Oregon) 



vicinity, yet not so near that the movements of the members 

 of the household, as they go about their ordinary affairs, will 

 disturb the pheasants. It should be where trees or bushes make 

 a natural shade but not a dense shade ; a place where the sun 

 and shade are about equal on a clear day is best. A light sandy 

 or gravelly soil is to be preferred, and a clay soil should be 

 avoided. If the land has underbrush on it, this need not be 

 cleared from the space occupied by the run, unless it is so 

 thick that it shades the ground too much. 



