Pheasants' Eggs under Turkey Hens. 117 



can be placed, surrounded with and separated from one 

 another by hay. Boxes with bran, sawdust, cut chaff, etc., 

 are very inferior, as these materials shake into smaller 

 compass by the jolting of the journey, and the eggs fre- 

 quently come into contact and are broken. 



Sometimes circumstances may occur in which it is desir- 

 able to exchange the eggs of fowls and pheasants temporarily ; 

 there is no difficulty in so doing. Pheasants' and partridges' 

 eggs may be taken from their nests, and others substituted. 

 The exchanged eggs may be placed under common hens. 

 As soon as the pheasants' eggs show symptoms of hatching, 

 they are replaced in those nests which have not been 

 forsaken, with very good results. The exchange is much 

 more likely to succeed with pheasants than partridges ; 

 with the former it is almost a certainty. The advantages 

 are many, and all on the keeper's side, as he may turn out 

 with the old birds larger broods than they otherwise would 

 have hatched. 



In those cases in which the nest of the pheasant 

 is in a situation likely to be disturbed, the plan may 

 be advantageous ; but, in ordinary circumstances, the 

 eggs had better be left unmolested, as the hen pheasant 

 is almost certain to bring off a larger number of chicks 

 than would result if the eggs were shifted under a farmyard 

 hen. 



In some parts of Germany- turkey hens are emploj-ed to 

 hatch pheasants ; the eggs are collected and placed under 

 the hens, which make excellent mothers, and are capable of 

 hatching and rearing twice the number of poults that a barn- 

 door hen can raise. From the great success that has attended 

 the introduction into England of the American plan of 

 allowing turkey hens to lay, sit, and rear their young in 

 the open, I should strongly advise the placing of pheasants' 

 eggs in the nest of a turkey hen that has sat herself in some 

 hedgerow or covert, and letting her rear the young pheasants 

 uncooped, and at perfect liberty. 



