THE REARED PHEASANT 241 



owls whatever their other services to 

 mankind may be are always good friends 

 to game. It may be, and quite probably 

 is, wise to protect all owls, kestrels and 

 even, just conceivably, weasels ; then let 

 it be done with a frank recognition of 

 their position as capable of doing harm 

 to game, but more than compensating for 

 it in other ways. 



Certainly the worst enemies of the 

 pheasant rearer are to be found among 

 foxes, rats, the family of crows (including 

 hooded, carrion, rook, and jackdaw), stoats, 

 hedgehogs, weasels, and what may be 

 termed the habitual hawk (that is an 

 individual who has regularly taken to 

 visiting the coops). The rearing-field 

 which is free from the presence of all 

 the above, need have little fear of more 

 occasional sinners, among whom we must 

 also count the badger and the otter, the 

 latter having been caught red-handed 

 killing pheasant hens in an aviary about 

 a year ago. 



Pheasant old maids or widows, and less 



16 



