68 PRACTICAL PHEASANT REARING. 



heads comfortably poked into the maternal bosom ; 

 the hen in her fright omits to warn or disengage 

 herself from the brood, and consequently a chick or 

 two often get inextricably hung up in the tightening 

 feathers of the mother, and are hung or strangled to- 

 death in consequence. 



The same result often follows an ebullition of 

 pleasurable excitement caused by the hen becoming 

 aware of the near approach of the keeper with the 

 welcome tin under his arm. Up jump the hens, and 

 the strangulation bogie again becomes imminent. 

 To avoid this danger, the keeper should commence to 

 feed at one end of the line of coops, keeping the 

 backs of the line below towards himself, and gently 

 whistling as he goes along his accustomed call, so 

 that only a few hens at a time become aware of his 

 presence. On arriving at the end of the top line of 

 hens or the bottom, as the case may be, for the 

 coops will of course be turned according to the 

 wind he retraces his steps, and feeds along the 

 second line, the backs of the third line of coops being 

 towards him, and so on until he has finished the field. 



This plan would be impossible where the coops are 

 spread about at all angles, and with different aspects ; 

 it would then be impossible for the man to conceal 

 his presence from the great majority of hens, who 

 will immediately become excited, and act as has been 

 described. For the same reason, it will be at once 

 apparent how necessary is perfect quiet in the rearing 



