THE GAME BREEDER 



45 



vermin is closely controlled on the for- 

 eign preserves and that many of the pre- 

 serve owners are protected by neighbors 

 who employ keepers to control the ver- 

 min. 



Birds reared in a wild state arc much 

 better equipped than hand reared birds 

 are to escape their numerous enemies. 

 From their earliest days they are taught 

 by their parents how to be on their guard 

 at all times and how to hide and to seek 

 the protection of the briars when an 

 enemy appears. Birds from preserves 

 where vermin has been practically exter- 

 minated are in great danger when they 

 are liberated in places where vermin 

 abounds. The innocent creatures, not 

 having been taught to be always on their 

 guard, fall an easy prey to foxes, hawks, 

 owls and numerous other enemies, and 

 their nests are robbed by numerous 

 ground and winged robbers. 



The attempts made by individuals and 

 by state game officers in America to es- 

 tablish pheasants and gray partridges as 

 wild breeding birds have often resulted 

 in complete failures, largely because the 

 birds do not know how to escape their 

 enemies. They, of course, suffer addi- 

 tional losses from shooting, legal and il- 

 legal, and we have had many demonstra- 

 tions of the entire disappearance of the 

 birds from the places where they have 

 been liberated. 



Where only a few birds are liberated 

 it is evident to naturalists that they can 

 not be expected to survive since nature's 

 balance is against them at the start. The 

 enemies are far too numerous when com- 

 pared with the game and, of course, 

 when the birds liberated are hand- 

 reared, innocent creatures, no one 

 should expect them to escape their 

 enemies. 



Should a large number of birds be 

 turned down on a compartively small 

 area, some might survive and these nc 

 doubt would be an illustration of the 

 survival of the fittest. These birds hav- 

 ing survived because they proved to be 

 smart enough to escape their enemies, 

 might breed and teach their young how 

 to properly look out for the dangers of 

 field and wood, and in time the land 

 might become stocked with wild breed- 



ing birds. There can be no doubt that 

 the best results have been obtained on 

 ground where vermin has been controlled 

 as far as possible by the persistent trap- 

 ping, shooting and poisoning of the ene- 

 mies of the game. But the preserve own- 

 er who wishes to have wild breeding 

 pheasants established on his property 

 would do well to secure birds from a 

 place where they have been bred wild 

 and he certainly should have his ground 

 well protected against vermin. The pro- 

 tection must be continuous if he expects 

 to see many birds on his ground. 



The hand-rearing keeper is simply a 

 skilled poultryman, who knows how suc- 

 cessfully to rear large numbers of game 

 fowls on protected rearing fields where 

 the young birds are shut up at night. 

 He is usually a good trapper and a good 

 shot. 



The keeper in charge of wild breeding 

 birds is known as a beat keeper and his 

 duties are to protect his wild breeding 

 birds by patrolling his grounds, being 

 ever on the look-out for the natural ene- 

 mies of his game and poachers. He is 

 always a skilled trapper and a good shot. 

 Usually, we are glad to observe, he does 

 not approve of poison, and he is able to 

 get along without it. During the 

 winter when snow is on the ground 

 he is able to discover, easily, what 

 ground enemies are about, and it is 

 his business to reduce their numbers 

 as far as possible. At all seasons he is 

 quick to discover the work of vermin 

 as he makes his rounds and he is espe- 

 cially careful during the nesting season 

 to. see that the nests of his birds are 

 made as safe as possible and that the 

 losses of the young birds when they are 

 hatched are reduced to a minimum. 



Climate is something which he cannot 

 control, of course, but he can do much 

 to offset bad seasons by feeding his birds 

 in winter and by inducing them to nest 

 in safe places. He can suggest the 

 planting of briars and other protecting 

 covers and foods and often he removes 

 the eggs from nests in very exposed sit- 

 uations and places them in safer nests, 

 or perhaps hatches some of them under 

 barn yard fowls or in incubators. 



The grouse in the older countries are 



