272 THE KEEPER'S BOOK 



simply to collect the eggs that are laid, (b) Another 

 plan is to utilise a particular covert as the breeding- 

 ground ; this covert only being protected in the sense 

 that a certain amount of wire fencing surrounds it, other- 

 wise there is no penning nor other form of artificial en- 

 closure, (c) A third and more general way is to collect 

 a certain number of hens before the shooting begins, and 

 either enclose them in the kind of covert mentioned last 

 or in enclosed pens, (d) A mod ification of this is to leave 

 the collection of the hens till the shooting is over. The 

 great objection to the latter practice is that some of the 

 hens may have been " peppered " by shot, and may have 

 received injuries to the maternal organs. There is also 

 another point in favour of taking hens before the shooting 

 begins. By so doing, one is rid of the incessant fear 

 that too many hens will be killed, and that there will not 

 be enough left for the mews. 



Whether it be required to secure hens for the mews 

 or not, every keeper should ascertain the condition of 

 his stock as soon as the shooting season is over. This 

 is easily done by a little regular feeding. If there be 

 too many cocks, he may exchange them for hens with 

 a neighbouring keeper, and vice versa. If this practice 

 be not convenient or possible, the keeper should indicate 

 to his master the fact of this superabundance, and if a 

 large number of hens are not to be procured to counter- 

 act this disproportion, some more cocks should be killed. 



But whether there be disproportion or not, the 

 general game law as to the value of fresh blood must 



