94 GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL. 



sitic animalculae, which prove so detrimental to 

 the health of all gallinaceous birds. The phea- 

 sants may be allowed to remain together until 

 March, when the cocks will begin to evince fre- 

 quent signs of pugnacity the first indication of 

 the approaching breeding season. The large en- 

 closure is then to be divided into seven lesser 

 compartments, by means of tall hurdles or wattles, 

 to all of which the keeper should have ready 

 access. Three hens and one cock may be placed 

 in each of these, water and food should be regu- 

 larly supplied once, and but once, a day : at the 

 same time the attendant will have the opportu- 

 nity of removing any eggs that may have been 

 laid during the previous twenty-four hours, and 

 these he ought at once to deposit in a cool cellar 

 until a sufficient number have been collected for 

 * a sitting/ which should be placed under a do- 

 mestic hen. The quantity which hen-phea- 

 sants will lay during a season in this qualified 

 state of captivity is very great. The larger the 

 compartments in which they are kept at that time 

 the better, so as to admit of sufficient room, 

 fresh air, a heap of bushes, and a mound of sand 

 in each. I had been for some years in the habit 

 of keeping pheasants in a moderately sized 

 establishment, such as I have described, when 

 an accident to the netted roof, which indeed was 



