SHOOTING THE PHEASANT 



from October or November until February may be 

 seen some 500 or 600 hens, all in the best condition 

 and plumage. In the latter month these are divided 

 out, in the proportion of five hens to a cock, into the 

 numerous small pens. 



When all these birds are finally removed, after 

 the laying and hatching season, the ground in each 

 pen is dug up, lime freely used, and crops or grass 

 sown. Of course, a permanent pheasantry can only 

 be carried on in a healthy state from year to year 

 by this system ; and I beheve greatly in the con- 

 stant application of lime, gravel, and sand to the 

 surface of the soil, which must also be thoroughly 

 well drained. 



Pens open at the top, which are accessible to the 

 wild cock, are advocated by some ; but I confess to a 

 preference for the certainty of egg fertilisation which 

 is got from healthy cocks confined with the hens, 

 Where the pheasantry is well attended to, and every 

 provision made for the natural food, habits, and 

 wants of the species, pheasants should lose neither 

 weight nor vigour in this temporary and luxurious 

 confinement. 



I strongly advocate the employment of women to 

 manage pheasantries, and look after sitting hens and 

 young birds. They must, of course, be under the 



