CHAPTEE V. 



Protection in Covert. 



WITH regard to the rearing of pheasants in 

 preserves, but Httle need be said ; the less they 

 are interfered with the better. No good can 

 possibly come from disturbing the sitting hens, but, on 

 the other hand, a great amount of mischief may accrue. 

 When leaving the nest quietly in order to seek food, the hen 

 does so in such a manner as not to attract the attention of 

 the numerous enemies, as crows, magpies, jays, etc., that 

 are on the watch to discover and devour her eggs ; but driven 

 off by the prying intrusion of a visitor, she departs without 

 caution, and makes known the situation of her concealed nest. 

 The onl}' circumstance warranting any interference with the 

 nests of the wild birds is the occurrence of a greater number 

 of eggs than the parent hen is capable of rearing as young 

 birds, should the whole of them be hatched. A hen pheasant 

 is rarely seen with more than six or seven young, at least 

 when they have arrived at any size ; and as she not infrequently 

 lays a larger number of eggs, it is an advantageous plan to 

 remove all beyond eight or nine for the purpose of hatching 

 them under common farmyard hens. Mr. J. Baily, in his 

 " Pheasants and Pheasantries," says that if " a keeper knows 

 of forty nests, seven eggs may be safely spared from each : 

 this will give two hundred and eighty eggs for tame rearing " ; 

 but such a degree of proHficacy in wild pheasants is a higher 

 average than has ever come under my notice. 



Another point of considerable importance with regard to 

 the breeding of pheasants in preserves is the number of cocks 

 that should be left in the spring in proportion to the number 

 of hens. There is no doubt whatever that in a state of nature 



