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late Superintendent of the Zoological Gardens to be the worst

offender in this respedl (a).


In the covered part of the aviary, stout perches should be

fastened up for the birds to roost on ; and faggots of gorse or

other thick brushwood should be placed against the walls to

afford further protedlion for the hens.


All the species with which we shall have to deal are hardy

and require no artificial warmth during the winter, provided that

their aviary be well sheltered from the north and east winds.


The best food for the adult birds is barley, wheat, rice

and maize ; but the latter must be given sparingly as it is very

fattening. There are several prepared foods for Pheasants

on the market : Chamberlain's is generally recommended, and

Spratt's Crissel is very good. The adult Pheasants should be fed

twice daily — early in the morning, and late in the afternoon just

before they retire to roost. Pheasants, as a rule, do not hatch

their own eggs successfully in captivity, so it is necessary to

obtain reliable broody hens for the purpose. Most Pheasant-

breeders recommend a cross between the Silk^^ and Game Fowl

as being the best variety to employ. Bantams are too small,

being unable to properly cover the Pheasant chicks when the

latter become any size.


The eggs must be collected as they are laid, and kept

carefully in a cool place until a sufficient number have been

obtained for a hen to cover comfortably. The number for one

hen will of course depend upon the size of the latter ; but a

small hen, such as the cross above recommended, will easily

cover from fourteen to sixteen eggs of the size of Amherst's or

Versicolors.


A habit to which Pheasants are liable in confinement is

that of egg-eating ; the cocks are usually the worse offenders in

this respect, and there appears to be no reliable cure. It is

therefore very important that a sharp look out should be kept

for eggs, for if left about they are liable to be broken, with the

probable result that this habit will quickly become established.


Having selected a broody hen, she should be set in a coop

without any bottom to it, there being merely a handful of straw



{a) In many cases, this is owing- to there not being- a sufficient number of females ;

they are polygamous, and each male should have a suitable number of wives. In some

aviaries, which are constructed for the purpose, with connecting- compartments side by

side, like the tigers' dens at the Zoological Gardens, the male is run into the next com-

partment after having visited each female, and the connecting-door shut for the rest of the

day.— R. P.



