THE CARE OF PHEASANTS IN CAPTIVITY 205 



the copings are the frames of the wire, which throughout is of three-quarters inch mesh. 

 Thus the rats are absolutely excluded. 



The indoor pheasant enclosures measure six by eight feet, by six feet high, and 

 each is provided with two perches. A small door admits the birds from the outdoor 

 run, while a large sliding window provides light and warmth in winter, and slides out 

 of the way, opening the entire front, in summer. 



The pugnacity of male pheasants is well known, and must be guarded against. 

 A sheet-iron partition two feet in height takes the place of wire upon the copings 

 between the runs, but not in front, so that the cocks cannot see one another, and all 

 chances of pecking and fighting through the partition wire is avoided. 



In the centre of each run a circular hole is cut down through the concrete, 

 thoroughly wired and filled with earth, in which some shade-giving, ornamental shrub 

 is planted. Among others, Mountain Laurel, Silky Cornel, Hornbeam, Weigelia, 

 Bridal Wreath and Black Haw have proved very successful, rapidly filling the central 

 part of the runway, and adding the colour of their blossoms to the brilliant hues of the 

 pheasants themselves. The smaller birds, doves and passerine song-birds, nest freely 

 among the branches of the shrubs. Sand is the best material for the flooring both 

 of the runs and the inside enclosures. In summer a depth of three or four inches may 

 be maintained. In winter, however, in such a climate as New York, a thin, scattered 

 layer in the outdoor runways is best. At each thaw this can rapidly be swept together 

 and removed and a fresh layer thrown down. If more is provided it soon becomes foul, 

 and freezing over the drains, causes the flooding of the run. Indoors, a large box of 

 gravel and another of ashes or sand for dust baths are provided. 



While aviaries of this sort are suitable for the exhibition of birds in zoological 

 parks, the conditions they provide are not conducive to breeding. For this purpose 

 the runs should be considerably larger, and the ground not concreted, but well sodded 

 and provided with an abundance of low thick shrubbery. It is an excellent plan to 

 form gravel paths around the edges of the run, if it is to be sodded, as it is here that 

 the birds do much running to and fro, soon beating down the grass in an unsightly 

 manner. It is also a good idea to place in a secluded corner a low box containing 

 a mixture of wood ashes and road dirt, in which the birds may dust themselves. 



Where the pheasants are in danger of sudden fright by dogs or other intruders, 

 it is well to place strong twine netting about a foot below the wire top of the yard. 

 The first move of a startled pheasant is to dash upward, and if wire-netting forms the 

 only barrier, mutilated heads are certain to result. 



Wood seems to be the most suitable material for the construction of pheasant 

 houses. Concrete is always damp and cold in winter and exceedingly hot in summer, if 

 it receives the direct rays of the sun for long periods. 



Of course wooden buildings are apt to be more or less infested with rats, and these 

 vermin must be excluded at all costs. In the case of Colonel Kuser's aviary, the wire 

 forming the outer wall is run into the ground for a distance of two feet, and then 

 outward at right angles for the same distance, forming an effective barrier against all 

 burrowers. Buildings not surrounded by runs can be protected by attaching wire to the 

 exposed portions and running it into the ground as above described. If the wires 

 forming the outer walls of the runs are similarly treated, the protection afforded will be 



