,Sl> pheasants FOIl cnVERTS AND AYIARIES. 



flexible binding wire, wliicli slionlJ iilso lie used to secLire 

 thoTTi together ;it top nnd bottom. 'J'he ])osts should bo 

 inside the pen, as lietter calcnlnted to resist any pressure 

 fri.im without. 



The hurdles slionld rest on the ground witliout any 

 opening l)elow, and if tliey are sunk thi'ee or four inehes 

 below tlio surface, the pens will be nmre secure against dog's 

 and Foxes or any animals likely tn scratch their way under. 

 The size of these pens slmuld be as hirge as convenient ; for a 

 cock and three to five liens — the utmost nund)(_'r that should 

 be placed together — ns many hurdles should lie era]i]o3'ed as 

 Avill form a pen twenty-five to tbirty-iive I'eet sipnire, the 

 smaller containing (;2o square or superficial feet of surface; 

 the larger, which will recpTire less than lialf as inan\' mure 

 hurdles, containing' neaidy double the intei'ior space, namely, 

 \ii^) srpiare feet. If the birds are full winged, these 

 enclosures must be netted over the top ; for this purpose 

 old tanned herring netting, which can be iDought very cheaply, 

 will be fiuuid much better than wire-work, as the jdieasants 

 are apt, when frightened, to lly up against the top of the 

 enclosure, and if it be of wire, to brea.k their necks or 

 serif)usly injure themselves. Should netting be eni]doved, 

 several upright ]ioles, with cross pieces at the top, ai-e required 

 to be ]ihu-ed at equal distances to su]ip(jrt the netting, and 

 prevent it hanging d(jwn into the interior of the [ien. A 

 much better ]ilan is to leave the pen (piite (.)peu at the top, and 

 to clip one of the wings of each bird by stripping with a. pair 

 of scissors the ([uills of twelve or fourteen of the flight feathers. 

 When the birds cannot Hy they lieconie nundi tana-r, are 

 more jiroductive, and are not so apt to injure themselves by 

 dashing ab(.)ut. wildly, especially if there lie, as is desirable, 

 brushwood cover or faggots in the pen, under wdiicli tliev 

 can run and conceal themselves. .Some jiersons are in the 

 liabit of ]")iniouing the binls Ijy cutting <-iff the last joint 

 of the wing, thus removing ]ierinanently the ten ]irimary 

 qudls, hint the plan is not to be recommended, as the pinioned 



