132 Rearing the Young Birds. 



of 211 he did not lose one. Certainly the season was favour 

 able. Little water, and food thrown wide round the coops, 

 seems to be his sj'stem." The scattering of the food on clean 

 soil may be regarded as the most probable source of his success. 



I am strongly of opinion that in this, as in all other respects, 

 we cannot possibly do better than take nature for our guide. 

 When hatched out natural!}', there is no doubt that the birds 

 obtain a plentiful supply of water. Even Avhen there is no 

 rain, the cloudless skies are productive of heavy dew, and 

 the young birds may be seen drinking the glistening drops 

 off the grass in the early morning. Some persons maintain 

 that the ova of the gapeworm are taken in with the water 

 gathered from dewdrops on the grass ; others suggest that 

 they occur in rain-water, but there is no foundation for either 

 of these theories, as the disease is strictly local, which would 

 not be the case if it were disseminated by a flying insect, by 

 dew or rain-water, or by any animals inhabiting running water. 

 Much evil is produced by allowing the j'oung pheasants to 

 drink water contaminated with their own excrement, which 

 is always the case if the water vessels are so constructed 

 that the young can run into them ; where such water is used, 

 there can be no doubt of its injurious q\ialitj% but I cannot 

 imagine that fresh, clear water can be otherwise then beneficial 

 to the birds. 



A correspondent, who is a most successful breeder of 

 pheasants on a large scale, and Avhose young stock are in 

 splendid order, writes : " I may give as my opinion that it 

 is necessary to their health to have fresh spring water. 

 Indeed, my man last year used to go to one particular spring 

 to supply his birds, as it was better water. In their wild 

 state, immediately they are out of the nest, the hen conducts 

 them to the water, and in our wild Devonshire hills, where 

 a streamlet runs in every valley, you can always see the well- 

 defined paths of the broods to and from the water. I have 

 just asked my man, and he tells me that so well are their 

 water-loving propensities known that poachers in large 



