Rearing the Young Birds. 225 



experience I have had in the rearing of these birds, I have 

 considered them past all danger when they arrived at the age 

 of three or four weeks ; in fact, at that age those which I 

 brought up in the garden began to leave the bantam hen 

 which hatched them and take to the gooseberry bushes to 

 perch at night, and very soon after to the apple trees. I 

 always observed that they roosted at the extremity of the 

 branches, where they were quite safe from the attacks of cats 

 or other vermin. This habit, together with their very early 

 disposition to roost at night, leads me to infer that their 

 introduction into this country as a game bird would not be 

 difficult ; and that in our large demesnes, where protected 

 from shooters, they would become very numerous. But I 

 should imagine that they would not answer where the common 

 pheasants were already introduced, as they are shy, timid 

 birds, and would be easily driven off by the other species. 

 The individuals before referred to, which were reared in the 

 garden, consisted of a family of six ; they always remained 

 in the garden, where they were regularly fed, except at the 

 commencement of winter, when they ceased roosting in the 

 apple trees, took to a belt of Scotch firs which bounded the 

 garden on one side, and roosted in them all the winter and 

 following spring. I have seen them sitting in the trees when 

 the branches were laden with snow, but they did not seem to 

 suffer in the shghtest degree from the severity of winter. 

 About the month of February they first began to wander 

 from the garden for short distances, and, as the spring 

 advanced, finally disappeared, and I never could hear of their 

 being met with afterwards. 



" In rearing the young I found that the very best food for 

 them, and of which they were most fond, was the larvsB of 

 the bluebottle fly, with a quantity of which I always was 

 prepared prior to the young being hatched. I took care to 

 have a constant supply during the season by hanging a cow's 

 liver over a barrel, in the bottom of which was some bran or 

 sawdust, into which the maggots dropped. A fresh liver was 



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