ON TITE REARING OF PHEASANTS BY- HAND. 129 



The fact of sliutting tlicm up at niglit necessitates 

 their being let out soon after daybreak in the 

 morningj and that additional trouble to some men 

 is distasteful. When the birds are very young, 

 and the ground at the coords is full of herbage 

 and clear of other impediments, before the very 

 young birds are let out in the morning, it is good 

 with a broom to brush away the dewdrops ; but 

 in rougher ground, or in mowing grass, this cannot 

 be accomplished. The young pheasants should be 

 kept to their coop always, for two or three days, 

 by a ^' crate" in front of it until they are not 

 afraid to take their food from the man in attend- 

 ance. The food should be. varied, every crop and 

 stomach is fond of change, and should consist of 

 hard-boiled egg, finely minced boiled rice, onions 

 chopped as fine as possible, oatmeal rubbed with 

 the egg or barley-meal (the oatmeal is the best), 

 and grits and buckwheat. Fresh watercress, finely 

 minced, and a bunch of the same, pegged to the 

 ground, for them to peck at if they like. A fctu 

 ants'-eggs, once or twice a day; if of the great 

 wood ant, they should be scalded, to kill the hard 

 bitten ant, and to mellow or reduce the strength 

 of the insect eggs. Maggots may also be given, 



VOL. 11, K 



