THE PHEASANT 273 



be remembered, and as much care taken in procuring 

 pure breeds as in the case of rabbits or partridges. 

 Crossed breeds or weaklings should on no account be 

 introduced. Lord Walsingham supports the contention 

 that " there is no better breed than the true Phaseanus 

 Colchicus, commonly known as the old-fashioned dark 

 variety without a white ring on the neck. These are 

 free layers and good mothers straying less from home 

 than the paler plumaged varieties more recently intro- 

 duced. They are quite as hardy, and fly at least equally 

 as well. There are few places in England now where 

 some traces of a cross with P. Torquatas, the ring-necked 

 Chinese bird, are not to be met with, but, in the opinion 

 of the writer, the cross-bred bird is not so worthy to be 

 encouraged and propagated as are those of the old, dark, 

 pure breed." The exchange of birds and eggs should 

 be frequent if possible, of an annual occurrence. 



If the hen birds are to be kept in mews instead of 

 being allowed to breed in coverts, more cocks should be 

 supplied than in the more natural state. There should 

 never be more than six hens to each cock in the mews, 

 and there should be every facility for the wild cocks to 

 get to the enclosed hens. The mews, therefore, should 

 not be shut in at the top. In constructing the mews, 

 the main point to be remembered is that they should be 

 absolutely closed in for at least 3 ft. from the ground, 

 so that the pheasants may be free from disturbance and 

 annoyance from without. The birds should have plenty 



of space, air, and light, and the ground on which the 

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