PREVENTION OF EGG EATING. 103 



off, aud straining some yalvaiiisoil wire uetting across the 

 enclosure six inches oft' the groiiud, tlie nicsh being of a 

 sufficient size to allow the eggs to drop through us soon as 

 laid on to some moss or cliaft' ; tlie hens should lie driven into 

 the wired enclosure early in the morning, and let out again 

 late in the eveDing^foo<l ami water, ot cnurse, must be 

 placed in a small trough for them." 



i\Ir. Fairfax Mucklev, of Aiulnaui, Stourlu-idge, says. 

 '^^ly pheasantries are large, and of oun^idcrable extent. My 

 method is tliis : In the beginning of ^Vpril 1 have a bundle of 

 larch bushes placed on each corner vl' the ])heasantries, 

 leaving only room behind for one bird, and a, little lajle lu 

 the bushes f(jr the hens to ci'cep into ; then make a ])hice on 

 the ground behind the Imshes and put two or three sham 

 ground glass eggs, and also place a few anywhere about the 

 pheasantries ; they then liecome accustomed to see these sham 

 eggs and try to break them, but hnding they cannot do so, 

 they leave the real ones alone. The hens are a.lso induced to 

 go into the corners ni the pheasantries and lay to the sham 

 eggs. The great thing is to have these in every way like 

 real ones. Tliose generally used are useless, being either too 

 heavy or too light, a,nd wrong in a.ppearauce. I may add 

 that the oftener the eggs are collected the better : but care 

 should be taken not to distiirli the hens when liehind the 

 bushes. I had two very line enck birds sent me; they ate 

 the eggs m the lieginning, but Ijy continually having 

 jierfectly-made sham eggs liefure tlieui they are cpnte cnrecl, 

 and (jver one hundred eggs have Iieen collected out of their 

 riens. It IS a good plan, when a hen ha^ just laid, t(j take the 

 egg away and put a sham one in the jihice, particularly when 

 von know they eat them. At the end of the season have 

 the sham eggs collected for other seasons." 



The glass eggs manufactured Ijy Mr. Muckley are most 

 efficacious in pireventing this destructive habit. 



In consecjuence of the removal (if the eggs as soon as 

 deposited, and the birds not sitting, the numl)er laid by the 



