PHEASANTS 89 



viduals and climate. If plenty of low bushes are provided, 

 the nest will generally be made in their shelter. Often, 

 however, the eggs will be deposited promiscuously about 

 the run and must be picked up at once, as many birds are 

 confirmed egg-eaters. If the female will incubate, she can- 

 not be excelled for rearing the young, but in most cases she 

 refuses to perform this function. It is customary, therefore, 

 to remove the eggs and place them under a domestic hen. 

 For this purpose a small bird should be chosen, preferably 

 a Silkie, or a gentle bantam, as large hens will crush the 

 fragile shells and trample under foot the tiny chicks. 



There is a very considerable difiference in the incubation 

 periods of pheasants, and this fact must be considered when 

 mixed clutches are being set. Moreover, some variation in 

 a single species is to be expected, broods of chicks of the 

 same sort sometimes requiring two or three days to com- 

 plete hatching. The following list gives the approximate 

 time required : 



Golden 21 to 22 days 



Lady Amherst 22 to 23 days 



Ring-neck, Formosan, Japanese, etc. 22 to 24 days 



^"^"[ 24 to 2S days 



Silver ^ 



S^liihoe [ 25 to 26 days 



Fireback J 



Tragopans) 27 to 28 days 



Impeyan ) 



Eared 28 to 30 days 



When the chicks have hatched they may be placed with 

 the hen in a small coop, just as domestic chicks are, with 

 the exception that a small covered run of fine-meshed wire 

 should be placed around it. This should be about two feet 

 square for the first few days, for young pheasants are very 

 wild and must become accustomed to the call notes of the 



