THE REARING FIELD. 51 



usual method, avoid belts of trees around it ; they 

 keep off the sun, which is life to pheasant poults. 

 Also, if possible, choose a field with a wire fence only 

 around it, and no hedges, which harbour vermin. If 

 the field is far from the keeper's house, a temporary 

 residence should be provided for him close by say, a 

 wooden hut or an old railway carriage ; a portable 

 boiler on wheels will also be found useful. The 

 chicks require constant and assiduous attention, and 

 should never be left absolutely alone. Accidents from 

 vermin two or four legged marauders never, one 

 notices, happens when anyone is in the field ; but 

 always the excuse crops us, " Oh, I had just gone 

 home for a short time/' Therefore, if it is only a boy 

 and boys are, at best, very poor substitutes for men 

 let the boy be always there when the keeper is not. 

 A sharp boy, armed with a rattle, and no cold in his 

 head to stop his shouting, is quite as effectual a guard 

 against anything but humans as the stoutest six-foot 

 keeper in the land ; and if he has well before his 

 eyes the fear of ahem ! let us say stick, which, to 

 the infantile understanding, is usually the messenger 

 of Providence here below, that boy will be worth the 

 few shillings a week that his perpetual presence 

 among the coops must add to the game account. At 

 any rate, let me again sum up most emphatically, and 

 repeat, never leave a quantity of young birds alone 

 by day or night, if it can possibly be avoided. 



Trap round your field well for a fortnight before 

 E 2 



