102 PHEASANTS FOR COVERTS AND AVIARIES. 



tlio (lay ; :ind all liaviiig beeu remuVL-il, ,i wixjdi-ii eixg may be 

 excliauged for the real one, Avliiidi will soon tire liiin out ; and 

 the Ijad lialn't iii:iy Ite cui'ed, and no loss of time dccur in the 

 Ijreedinu; season. But whether the bii'ds are ti'iaiblesoine or 

 not in this resjiect, the attendants must make ])eriodical visits 

 to the breeding' pens inv the pui'pose of eolle(.-t ing the ei^'gs, 

 as they should lU'vei- be allowed to remaiu abnut." 



There is no doubt that bad management and improper 

 feeding tend to pi-omote this serinus evil. Tlie fref|uent 

 disturbance (if the birds by the impiisitiveness of visitors, bad 

 and improper stinnilating f(jod, witljnut a. sufheiency of g-reen 

 vegetable diet, want of cleanliness in the pen, and insufficient 

 or dirty snp])l\- of water, and want of giat to assist digestion, 

 all aid in developing the habit. i\Ii-. J. F. J)(ingall, in liis 

 " iShootiug Sim|ilirKMl," suggests the lV)ll(.)wing mode of 

 preventing the practice when once established : " In 

 jjheasantries means should be taken to prevent tho eggs 

 being' destroyed by tlio male bird ; ainl as it is nnpossiljle to 

 keep continual watch, the hen should be induced to seek a 

 dark secluded coi-ner by forming for her an artificial nest 

 covered thinly with straw. Under this straw luu'e a net of 

 mtsh exactly wide en(jugli to allow the egg to dro]i throu^'h 

 into a box below, filled with soft sc.'eds nr shellings, leaving 

 only a few inches between ; the cock bird canm.it then reach 

 the egg, which falls uninjured on the soft seeds behjw, and is 

 safely removed.' ' 



Mr. Lemi writes : "1 have iuvarialily found the cocks to 

 Ije the culprits. As soon as a pecked egg is I'miiid, the cock 

 bird should be rcinnveil, a!id the hens lelt by themselves for a 

 few days, to see whether he is or is not the guiltv ijne ; 

 Ijefore jiutting in another cock with the hens, iill up the 

 shell of the In'okcu ei^g with soft soap, which the fresh bird 

 may try his hand at. In case tlie first cock has been at 

 mischief hmg enough to teach the hens, there is nri saving 

 the eggs, iinli.'ss they are watched and tlic (_'gL:s ]ucked ui) 

 immediately they are laid, or by partitioning part of the pen 



