38 



Points on Care and Breeding of Pheasants, etc. 



Aside from the sale of the pheasants themselves, either as show birds, as breeders for 

 aviaries and game preserves, or for consumption on the table, a big profit may be realized 

 from the eggs and feathers. In this connection there is food for the thought of those human- 

 itarians who are interested in the preservation of the pretty, wild birds that sing in or orna- 

 ment the gloves and forests of the United States. Women's hats must be decorated, and to 

 supply this adornment the songster will be sacrificed until a satisfactory substitute for his 

 plumage is placed in the hands of the milliners. The pheasant is just the bird to furnish this 



AUTOMOBILING AND RECREATION WITH THE BIRDS— A happy pastime and a fine physician 



substitute, and has furnished it for some time in limited quantities • with greater propagation 

 of the pheasant the songster may be saved from the despoiler. 



For example, take the English ringnecked pheasant. The plumage of the cock is sur- 

 passingly beautiful. Its colors are rich and changeable. The brilliant colors of the breast 

 shade from a deep red to violet, green and bronze. A single breast will make a band several 

 inches wide and two feet long. What could be more ornate than such a breast daintily set 

 on a woman's hat ? 



The head of the Engligh ringneck is green, blue and violet, with a white ring around the 

 neck. On each side of the head are bright red wattles which the bird expands when excited, 

 and then they look like beautiful fans. All these feathers, together with the tippet, breast 

 saddle and centre tail feathers, have a commercial value. The milliners eagerly snap them 

 up, and what the milliners don't want the manufacturer of fishing flies grab at, for they are 

 especially valuable in putting the finishing touches on fishing tackle. 



Pheasants the Friend of the Farmer 



upwards of 1 ,200 wire worms have been taken from the crop of one pheasant, to show how 

 much they consume. The total insects destroyed must be incredible. From the crop of 

 one pheasant 450 grubs of the crane fl> or daddy-long-legs were taken. Those long-leg in- 

 sects being very destructive to roots of grass, grains, vegetables, etc. 



