THE MONGOLIA N PHEASANT. tyj 



'^UO young pheasants. Tlii-eo tiiut's :i weok from six to twelve 

 ])lucks were spread iu the nioruiug on a liurdlo covered with 

 lin. mesli wire chith, and set out of doors, and hy uiglit wei-e 

 fully bhiwn, when they were taken into the house and hutiir 

 on the hooks. Seven plueks will produce from four to seven 

 quarts of maggots. 'J'he hopper Itoxes were about lialf hlled 

 with a mixttii'e of wheat lirau and ground beef scraps (one 

 quart of scraps to six of bran), thoroughly mi.xed and 

 moistened witli water. In about twenty-four liours (depending 

 somewhat upon the temperature) the maggots drop into the 

 bran, where they hnd additional food and then dro]) into tiie 

 di'awers ))e]ow. They are not in condition to use until tlie 

 fourth or fifth day after the meat is l)lown, but if not then 

 ]ilaced iu a cool place will change to the elirysalid state, unfit 

 for the chicks, in a i'l'w hours. By placing them iu a 

 refrigerator as soon as fully grown, where the temperature 

 does not exceed 45*"', furl her development is arrested, and 

 they may bo ke]it for several weeks. 



"^ All this may not seem verv enticing work, but it is ,i 

 necessity, as this or some equivaleid must be used for fi3od to 

 insure success in raising ]\Iongolian pheasants. The chicks 

 are so small and tender for the first twti or three weeks that 

 all efforts to raise them on the fijod recommended for the 

 Ihiglish pheasants end more (_)r less in disappointment. When 

 led on maggots the loss fr(.)m disease was slight, but a 

 C(jnsiderabh' nuiulier were lost by accidents. ANHieu the young 

 jiheasants were but three or four weeks old they fiew i_)ver the 

 fence and into the adjacent woods. The treatment (jf the 

 young Mongolian was (juite dift'creut from the directions given 

 for raising English pheasants. After the first week the board 

 was taken away from the little yard, and the birds were 

 allowed to go at pleasure into the large inclosure, shutting 

 them tip at night and letting them out in the morning, often 

 Ijy five o'clock, making no effort to keep them out of the wet 

 grass or rain. They sometimes became quite wet, but did 

 not seem any the worse for it. They will stand any weather 



