l80 GAME BIRDS OF INDIA AND ASIA. 



conditions of close confinement and the bitter cold often experien- 

 ced at sea. 



Birds that have been long confined without the use of gravel 

 should be allowed only a very little of this at first, or they will 

 often kin themselves by unrestricted use of what is merely a 

 mechanical digestive ; many birds are, I am convinced, lost in 

 this way, as natives never seem to realise that gravel is usually 

 taken by seed- eating birds, and so do not give it. 



Few people seem to take much interest in breeding pheasants, 

 etc., in India ; but any one who can rear chickens can 

 easily do so, if it be remembered that the young of the wild 

 game-birds need more raw green-meal and animal food than 

 young fowls. A mixture of chopped raw vegetables, especially 

 onions, hard-boiled egg, and stale bread-crumbs, forms an 

 excellent food for chicks, and any insects that can be got are 

 much appreciated, and greatly help in the rearing. 



