324



Practical Bird- Keeping.



The Partridges usually obtainable are all easy enough to

keep, even the beautiful Ammoperdix of the Desert; but the

young of the species from the warmer regions are, as might be

expected, very sensitive to damp, and all, whether adults or

young, should have access to dry sheds, in which they can dust

and shelter. I have not kept any of the Wood Partridges, and

expect that they require very special treatment. Peat Moss

litter makes an excellent floor for such sheds as it is absorbent

and a deodorizer. Unless the ventilation is really effective, fire-

heat, unless in exceptional frosty weather, is better dispensed

with.


If I may offer one or two pieces of advice, I would urge

that it is a great mistake to keep too many birds. Overcrowding

leads to tainted ground and a host of trouble. Grit must never

be forgotten as it is absolutely essential to this class of bird. A

Grouse chick of forty-eight hours w'as found to have its gizzard

well provided with grit (Report of the Committee on Grouse

disease). Quartz grit is the best if to be had. After the first

severe frost, lettuces and even cabbages are often unprocurable,

and, until the grass grows freely, some substitute for green food

is desirable for grain-fed birds. I find Mangel-Wurzel most

useful, and take care to have a supply sufficient to last w 7 ell on

into the spring. But, as I have already said, care must be taken

that the roots do not get frozen.


The incubation periods of some of the birds referred to in

this paper, as noted by me, may interest some:—Capercaillie, 26

days; Blackgame, 25—26 days ; Redgrouse, 20—21 days; Willow

Grouse, 20—21 days; Monal, 28—29 days ; Tragopan, 29 days.



