6 Game and Foxes. 



at this critical moment, but the reason shall be 

 explained in due course, and, the statement being 

 perfectly true, in what rests the advantage of the 

 Euston system ? The eggs are removed during a 

 period when they are invariably thoroughly safe, 

 and once more committed to the care of the parent 

 bird at positively the most critical stage — this 

 being during the process of hatching. What is 

 gained is hard to see, as in any case and under 

 any circumstances the nest might be safeguarded 

 during that process. 



Sitting game birds are popularly supposed to 

 be devoid of, or, rather, to emit no scent while 

 incubating, but it is more reasonable to suppose 

 that any absence of scent is solely attributable to 

 the quiescent state of the bird when sitting. She 

 remains practically immovable on her eggs, and 

 for this reason stands a chance of escaping 

 detection by eye, ear, or nose. Nevertheless, that 

 she is not wholly devoid of scent the author has 

 had frequent proof, and in a rather lamentable 

 manner. On wet days the sitting birds are 

 inclined to linger on the nest, and if it comes fine 

 in the evening, as is often the case, they all leave 

 to feed. If this is seen to occur, the keeper 

 should be on the alert that night, for a bird off the 

 nest late means that scent will not have vanished 



