Pheasants General Management, &c. 71 



is to carry a box and a bag full of bran or chaff. When a 

 nest is found, place about lin. depth of bran in the box, 

 and set the eggs up on their small ends, filling up with 

 bran, sufficient to prevent their moving. If it be necessary 

 to send to, or receive eggs from, a distance, there is no 

 packing so suitable as cotton-wool and bran. Each egg is 

 wrapped up separately in just sufficient wool to cover it, 

 and set on a layer of bran in a wooden box, the interstices 

 are then filled up between the eggs with more bran, and 

 finally covered with a layer of the same material, the opera- 

 tion being repeated till the box is full. When putting on 

 the lid, make sure that you have as much bran as the box 

 will hold, so that if shaken much it will not leave an empty 

 space at the top; and so prevent the eggs from breaking. 

 It would not be unadvisable to finish the packing with a 

 layer of cotton-wool. When eggs have to be kept any 

 length of time for sitting purposes, it is necessary that they 

 should be moved every day. The best way is to make 

 some shallow wooden trays about 3in. deep, upon the 

 bottom of which lin. in depth of bran or chaff or any other 

 similar material is provided. When first obtained the eggs 

 are placed regularly in this, stuck upon their small ends, 

 and their position daily reversed. Of course, the fresher 

 the eggs when set the better, but it is oft-times obligatory to 

 keep them some days, and in that event the mode of storing 

 described is the best and surest. 



Hens for Sitting. Much difference of opinion exists as 

 to which fowls are the best for setting pheasants' eggs 

 under. Some prefer one breed, some another. Of those 

 recommended probably the worst are bantams. We may 



