118 PHEASANTS FOB COVEBTS AND AVIABIES. 



in and out, but not round the back. Under tbese circum- 

 stances she will be able to scratch the surface of the ground 

 and supply her young with the seeds, grubs, worms, aud 

 natural food, which is so much more advantageous to them 

 than any artificial substitute that can be given. The little 

 chickens, even when two or three days old, will be observed 

 scratching for themselves, and the progress that they make 

 when reared under these conditions is out of all proportion 

 to that made when the hen is kept cooped up, and the birds 

 are fedon the hard, soiled, dirty ground. 



"But there is a right way and a wrong way of doing every- 

 thing. If the hen is simply secured by a piece of string tied 

 round her leg, she will pull against it, and the leg or upper 

 part of the foot may be injured. She should be secured by a 

 proper jess, such as is used by falconers. A piece of thin, 

 flexible leather, about eight inches long, by something less 



than lin. broad, should be taken, and three openings cut in it, 

 as shown in the diagram, which is one-half the required size. 

 The part between A and B should be placed round the leg 

 of the hen, the slic A being brought over B, then the end 

 C should be passed through both slits, care being taken 

 that it goes through A first. It should be pulled right 

 through, when it will be found to make a secure loop round 

 the leg of the hen, which she can neither undo by picking 

 nor tighten by pulling. The cord of the requisite length is 

 then tied to C, and fastened to a peg driven in the ground, 

 which, as I have said before, should be put a sufficient 

 distance from the coop to allow the hen to take shelter in it 

 in case of need. A hen pegged down in this manner will 

 become perfectly accustomed to the circumstances, and will 

 proceed to scratch for her chickens in a very few minutes. 



