10 



Fancy Pheasants. 



mind. A pair of Pheasants or a pet cock bird can be 

 kept in any small covered shed, but in such close quar- 

 ters the hen may often be in danger from the fitful 

 temper of her savage mate, who is usually less chival- 

 rous than Chantieleer, and the young from such birds, 

 even should the hen lay, are less likely to be vigorous 

 than those of birds better housed, and few people nowa- 

 days care to keep birds without some idea of breeding 

 from them. 



Should anyone be desirous, however, of keeping a few 

 Pheasants merely to look at, several males of the same 

 or different species may be put together in an ordinary 

 fowl-run, where they will thrive and agree well, if no 

 hens are introduced ; but even then a sharp eye should 

 be kept on them wheji first put together, or when any 

 show signs of a bullying spirit. For Pheasants are 

 game birds in more senses than one, and where pairs are 

 kept it is quite out of the question to let even different 

 species run together, as the jealous males would fight to 

 the death in such a case. 



>^ "For breeding Pheasants, then, each pair or pen should 

 have a shelter shed and open run to themselves. The 

 latter should be well turfed and planted with bushes ; 

 and the part nearest the front should be gravelled or 

 sanded, as the birds are sure to run to and fro there, and 

 thus ruin the grass at that point. Perches should be pro- 

 vided, natural branches serving and looking best, but the 

 perches out-doors should be alllower than that within the 

 shed, so that the birds maybe encouraged to roost inside. In 

 the shed also will be placed the food and the dust -bath. 

 Pheasants may have corn of all the ordinary small kinds 

 constantly before them, though too much maize should 

 not be given, or they may be fed morning and evening, 

 like fowls. In the latter case the morning feed should 

 consist of meal or other soft food. Green food, especially 

 lettuce and small fruit, should always be given, especi- 



J ally if the run is getting bare of grass and insects, or, in 

 default of them, some chopped cooked meat or hard- 

 boiled egg be supplied at frequent intervals. 



CovEEBD AND Uncovered Runs. 



When I spoke above of an uncovered run, I meant, of 

 course, one exposed to the weather ; but it need not be 

 open altogether, and, indeed, must not be unless the 

 birds are pinioned or have their wings cut. If pheasants 

 are to be pinioned, the whole of the first or knuckle-joint 

 of the wing, carrying all the flights, must be cut off, and 

 even then a spring and flutter will take them to a good 

 height. Therefore, although the shortness of the flights 

 in birds of this family prevents the result of the opera- 

 tion from being visiWe while the wings are closed, I do 

 not advise anyone to pinion Pheasants unless they have 

 a large, safe, and well-enclosed run, whence it would be 

 a pity to exclude them, while it is too big to be netted 

 over. The worst of cutting the wings of Pheasants is 

 that, as the quills come away and are reproduced more or 

 less gradually, the bird may be regaining the power of 

 flight without your knowledge, and to your subsequent 

 disappointment. For, though Pheasants do not fly far, 

 they cannot be trusted with complete liberty except in 

 extensive grounds or woods, and even there they are 

 liable to stray, fight, or interbreed. 

 / So that most people will find it necessary to keep their 

 birds under wire ; and in this case there should always 

 be a string netting stretched under the wire one to pre- 

 vent injury to their lieads should they fly up on any 

 fright, as they spring with great force and are liable to 

 scalp themselves, by which they will be disfigured or 

 killed outright. The shelter shed should be open to the 

 front on the south side, and should be netted so that the 

 birds can be confined in it if necessary It is easy to 

 make, some arrangement by which the door can be closed 

 on them by means of a string if they are inclined to dart 

 out when an attempt is made to shut them in. 



;< Beeeding. 



Pheasants are commonly sold in pairs, as being scarce 

 and dear, but two toiiour hens may be put with one 



Cock, it they themselves fall in with the arrangements ; 

 for, though cock Pheasants are naturally addicted to 

 polygamy, the hens, in some cases, strongly disapprove 

 of it, and refuse to agree together. A less creditable 

 trait in the Pheasant character is the cruel disposition 

 of the males in some species, which will often kill the 

 hen outright for no reason, apparently, but the possession 

 of a naturally savage disposition. In the case of such 

 ruffians, it is said to be a good plan to connect the legs 

 of the male bird by a piece of soft string long enough 

 for him to walk easily but not to run, and thus allow 

 the hens a chance of escape, until he has got used to 

 their presence and treats them better. Moreover, a run 

 for breeding should, as above remarked, contain plenty 

 of bushes, which will give shelter to the hen if unduly 

 persecuted. 



Another vice cock Pheasants are liable to is that of 

 egg-eating, which is best cured by giving the offender 

 hard artificial eggs to amuse hiuiself with till he is con- 

 vinced that eggs are too uninteresting to meddle with. 

 Pheasant eggs are apt to be left lying about the pen, 

 for the hens will seldom lay, sit, and hatch in the 

 regular way, though this occasionally happens. 



As a rule, however, all that can be done is to induce 

 the hen to lay regularly in one place by screening it 

 with living bushes, or a lean-to of brushwood faggots. 

 The eggs must then be set under a steady light hen — 

 half-bred Silkies are stated to be the very best for the 

 purpose. The Silky, however, is exceedingly good, and 

 as it i.s itself a pretty and ornamental bird, is doubly 

 deserving of employment. 



The young should be fed more often than chickens, and 

 get more animal food. Ants' cocoons (commonly called 

 " eggs ") are good, but tend to make the birds dainty ; 

 well-scoured gentles may be given in moderation. 

 Custard, crushed hemp, and millet and canary seed 

 should,however,form the staple diet at first, with minced 

 boiled meat, the various game meals advertised, 

 and larger grain as they grow older and get feathered. 

 Green food should always be given, even if they are 

 being reared on turf, as they ought to be. Pheasants' 

 eggs take several days longer in hatching than those of 

 fowls, a fact which should be borne in mind, or disap- 

 j)ointment may be unnecessarily felt at the non appear- 

 ance of chicks at the end of the regulation three weeks. 

 But the family is such an extensive one, and comprises 

 birds of such different sizes and styles, from the Turkey 

 to the Quail,that it is not surprising that the incubation 

 period varies a great deal. 



As Pheasants are liable to the ordinary diseases of 

 poultry, great care should be taken in selecting healthy 

 hens to rear them, lest the young become infected by 

 their foster-mothers. They are particularly liable to 

 the attacks of the gape-worm, for which reason many 

 pheasant-rearers do not allow them water when young, 

 but there is no good ground for such unnatural treat- 

 menc, and general cleanliness is the best preventive. 



Handling and Transport. 



The most likely cause of trouble with full-grown 

 birds, apart from fighting, lies in their nervous 

 disposition and violent movements when alarmed, 

 the strength of these birds, compared with poultry, 

 being something remarkable. You should always 

 "take two hands" to a Pheasant, and never 

 seize it by one limb only ; and it is better to use a 

 shallow, strong net, like a landing-net, to secure them. 

 Beware, also, of the sharp spurs of the cocks. Cages or 

 coops for Pheasants should always have a padded roof, 

 or a canvas ceiling below the top, and should not be 

 higher than the birds require to stand upright in : the 

 front should also be made of wooden bars, much too close 

 for them to get their heads out. The floor should 

 also be of wooden bars, with a space beneath to facilitate 

 cleaning. 



For short journeys the ordinary poultry hamper can 

 be used, these' being now so well constructed for the 

 saving of birds' persons and plumage. But it should be 



