PHEASANTRY EGGS VERSUS WILD ONES 



old causes of dirt, overcrowding and laziness ; when that 

 happens it is the fault of the man and not of the system." 



Mr H. Phuler also offered his views in the following 

 essay : — 



" It must not be overlooked that the Pheasant is not a 

 native of the British Isles ; neither must we forget that in 

 most cases it is living a life that is altogether foreign to the 

 real wild Pheasant. Therefore in speaking of wild Pheasants 

 we do not (or should not) think of it as a bird following its 

 natural, I might say, virgin wildness. When the shooting 

 season is over, and all the birds required for the pens are 

 caught up, we can usually find a few left in the home coverts. 

 Everything is done to induce these birds to stay in those 

 coverts and also to draw all outsiders as near the centre of 

 the beat as possible. There are many reasons for this ; they 

 are more under a watchful eye, can be fed regularly, and 

 helped in many ways ; also their nests, when the time comes, 

 can usually be located with little trouble, and this is a great 

 advantage to the keeper, as he can then make use of the 

 eggs if he wishes. In many cases these birds have been 

 hatched from pheasantry eggs the year previous and become 

 quite used to the feeding methods, and are quite familiar 

 with their daily contact with their keep-feeder. As this has 

 gone on yearly they have lost a great deal of their wild 

 instinct, and seem quite content to make a gluttonous feed 

 once or twice daily, and then settle down to the prescribed 

 life marked out for them. Their daily rambles are confined 

 to a very small radius, and their inclinations in that respect 

 have quite left them. In many cases they are fed and 

 attended to much the same as penned birds, and become 

 very indolent, and do not leave — at least not willingly— their 



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