'WARE WIRE 135 



Wire netting is the cause of many a tragedy to young 

 pheasants. One may see it stretching for miles on 



the fringe of woods as a fence against rabbits. 



'Ware 



Wipe Suppose a hen pheasant, with her brood, 



has been making an excursion to the fields. 

 She comes to the wire and finds her return passage 

 barred. Seeing that most of her little ones have 

 wriggled through the meshes, the mother flies over, 

 and goes on. But as often as not she leaves behind 

 her one or two chicks, and these the flower of her 

 flock for they are the ones so well grown as to be 

 just too large to pass through the meshes. Sooner or 

 later, after fluttering to find a loophole, the little 

 necks become caught, and after a few frantic struggles 

 the chicks hang themselves. Or night comes on, 

 and some prowling vermin saves them from a slow 

 death by exhaustion through their vain efforts. 



Pheasants, beside partridges, are stupid mothers : 

 nor have young pheasants anything like the common 

 sense of young partridges. The mother 

 partridge is the most careful mother, and 

 by example soon teaches her young ones 

 to use their wings. One hears the old partridges 

 calling all through the day to their young ; but the 

 little pheasants must fight their own battles with 

 less encouragement, and look after themselves. One 

 may see a hen pheasant leading her brood towards a 

 dike, over which it is obvious they are not strong 



