BEARING AND PROTECTION. 63 



preserves a uide of above fourteen birds (and I have known 

 eighteen) is not unfrequently produced from an outlying 

 cock and hen occupying some detached covert, and yields 

 the best birds of the season when the 1st of October arrives. 

 With respect to the proportion of cocks to be left much may 

 be written about it, depending upon all circumstances con- 

 nected with the ground under the entire control of the 

 individual seeking to preserve a given stock of pheasants. 

 In all cases, in my opinion, too much forbearance is shown to 

 hens early in the season, and much too little towards cocks 

 at the end. The safe plan, in all cases, is to adapt one or 

 two small coverts, as much in the centre of your ground as 

 possible, as your feeding places for your stock birds, aud 

 before the middle of December the exact number of birds 

 which by judicious management you have collected there 

 may be ascertained by a few days' careful observation. With 

 attention and the greatest forbearance towards these (no old 

 cocks being left among their number), you may kill freely 

 elsewhere, and insure to your friends and yourself plenty of 

 sport the following season from them and their progeny." 



With regard to the exact proportion of sexes left in the 

 coverts, it is difficult to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion. 

 One writer states : " It would be to the advantage of 

 preservers of pheasants if they would, before it is too late, 

 refrain from shooting the cock birds too close, as most game 

 preservers, I presume, wish to have as good and numerous 

 a stock of pheasants as they can for breeding; and the 

 reason why so many are disappointed in this respect is for 

 want of more cock birds. There should be left at least one 

 cock for every three hens, as eggs then would be more 

 plentiful, the chicks stronger, and better able to contend with 

 a wet season and the numerous enemies they have to battle 

 with." 



The frequent occurrence of old barren hens that have 

 assumed either wholly or in part the plumage of the male is 

 ^ proof, if one were wanting, that in many coverts the old 



