CHAPTER Y. 



MANAGEMENT OF PHEASANTS IN PRESERVES 

 (CONTINUED). 



REARING AND PROTECTION. 



m ITH regard to the rearing of pheasants in preserves 

 but little need be said : the less they are interfered 



r 



J^^ with the better. No good can possibly come from 



disturbing the sitting hens, but, on the other hand, a 

 M) gi'eat amount of mischief may accrue. When leaving 

 L. the nest quietly in order to seek food, the hen does so 



in such a manner as not to attract the attention of the 

 numerous enemies, as crows, magpies, jays, &c., that are on 

 the watch to discover and devour her eggs ; but driven off by 

 the prying intrusion of a visitor, she departs without caution, 

 and makes known the situation of her concealed nest. The 

 only circumstance warranting any interference with the nests- 

 of the wild birds is the occurrence of a greater number of 

 eggs than the parent hen is capable of rearing as young- 

 birds, should the whole of them be hatched. A hen pheasant 

 is rarely seen with more than six or seven young, at least 

 when they have arrived at any size ; and as she not 

 unfrequently lays a larger number of eggs, it is an advan- 

 tageous plan to remove all beyond eight or nine for the 

 purpose of hatching them under common fanny ai'd hens. 

 Mr. J. Baily, in his " Pheasants and Pheasantries," say& 

 that if " a keeper knows of forty nests, seven eggs may 

 be safely spared from each ; this will give two hundred 



