50 PHEASANTS FOR COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



attractive to the uiarauders. It also bears Ijeiny removed 

 large from the nurserv, with very little injury or check to its 

 growth. Consecjuently, lai'ge plants of it, with earth adhering, 

 though somewhat costly, ai'e well worth their jjrice to the 

 plantei' who knows where and how to use them. Around 

 these, ;ind nearer to the tall pines and spruces, may be tried 

 plants of the holly-leaved berberis and common laurel, which 

 may not imjirobably succ'eed. Immediately under the pines 

 and spruces it is useless to plant anything. The oidy covert 

 to be obtained there is from heaps of branches left upon the 

 ground as often as the trees are thinned. And this should 

 be done almost annually, to ensure plenty of room to the best 

 and most thriving amongst them, wdiose side liranches will 

 then gradually becouie more or less ]iendulous, and S(j will 

 afford far more shelter than could be obtained from a larger 



o 



number of trees standing too thick. Pheasants in a covert 

 like this need no great cpiantity of shelter upon the ground, 

 for they sit, even during the daytime, chieHy in the tree-tops, 

 'idle}" bask there, on the south side of the summit of a spruce 

 or pine, in the sun's rays, with great delight; and in heavy 

 snow-storms wdiole days will oitvn pass when they never 

 descend to feed, but prefer to sit quiet, eating the green 

 spines of these resinous trees (in the manner of the black 

 grouse and capercail/.ie) when crispencd by the frost, and 

 depending upon snow by way (jf beverage. 1 have strongly 

 advocated the spruce and silvei' tirs as affording the most 

 tempting perch to the birds at nightfall; still, be it under- 

 stood, that the Scotch pine, ])inaster, Weymouth pine 

 (P. hiricio), and othei's are all excellent. All that is needed is 

 a little generalship and foresight in pheasant jireservers, 

 and a determinati(.in t(j contido in these resources, rather than 

 m the expi^nsive, dangerous, and inefficient practice of 

 empleying uiglit watchers." 



Commenting on these suggestions, another correspondent 

 writes : " I am not aware that the practical advantages and 

 excellence of the plan of planting large clumps or squares of 



