MOVING THE COOPS, ETC. 69 



Ifield, and the absence of dogs, cats, vermin, or 

 visitors. 



When the field is done with, if it is likely to be 

 again soon used for pheasants, dress it over in the 

 winter with a mixture of earth and dung, and lime or 

 lime ashes. Be careful, as before mentioned, to avoid 

 ^guano in any form, which is hurtful in the extreme. 



Care must be taken whilst the birds are very young 

 Jiot to let them out of the coops till the dew is off the 

 ^grass, and to get them in before it rises ; but too 

 much attention is paid to this by some keepers, who 

 will not feed until 10 a.m. or so, whereas, except for 

 the very young birds, I advocate the first feed for 

 6 a.m., then at 10, 2, and 5.30, saying 5 for the very 

 Dearly birds. 



Here again let me impress upon my readers, as 

 .already I have done in the preface, to make sure that 

 the keepers do turn out their birds early in the 

 morning ; let every head-keeper make a point of 

 going round the fields upon which his under men are 

 rearing birds once or twice during the season, without 

 any warning, at 5 a.m., and see for himself that these 

 orders are likely to be attended to. 



The pheasant poults will run about the field all day, 

 picking up countless little seeds and insects which 

 would be debarred them if too long confined, and as 

 .they have to become active and learn to seek for at 

 least a portion of their own living, it is just as well 

 .that they should begin to do so as soon as possible ; 



