W. COOKS TURKKY, GOOSE, AND PHEASANT BOOK 5 



occasionally a few white ones will crop up. As a rule, 

 however, the hen will kill the white ones, as they are a 

 different colour. 



There is no doubt many of the pheasants have the 

 Bohemian blood in them, as a large number of breeders 

 use that blood on account of the size. The hens are a kind 

 of creamy mottled colour, and the body of the cock is 

 of the same colour only a little more mottled. The male 

 has usually a black or green head. It is by crossing 

 these birds with the old English pheasants, or in some 

 cases the Chinese, we get the pied and white specimens. 



I know one breeder in Bedfordshire, who rears a 

 number of white pheasants, but these usually originate 

 from the Bohemians, as he crosses a cock of that breed 

 with the ordinary pheasant hens to obtain the white 

 birds. 



It is never well to turn pied or white birds down for 

 shooting purposes, as they are seen so easily from a 

 distance by the poachers. T'hey can be seen when on the 

 ground a long way off, but when they are brown, that is 

 a pheasant's natural colour, as a rule they are not 

 noticed till they fly up. 



When the hen pheasants are rather light in colour, it 

 is best to use cocks with a dark neck without a ring 

 round them, it brings the progeny darker, but this is only 

 a matter of fancy. 



The principal thing in keeping stock birds in confined 

 runs is to have fresh blood, and always breed from very 

 strong male birds. They should have as much room as 

 possible, so that they can take exercise. A pheasant pen 



