THE GAME BREEDER 



111 



reports of the work are from the fifty- 

 third annual report of the commis- 

 sioners : 



The Sandwich Bird Farm. — In order 

 to make a practical test of the feasibility 

 of buying quail in the market for stock- 

 ing the covers rather than to rear our 

 own stock, a trial order was placed for 

 120 Mexican bobwhites to be sent from 

 Eagle Pass, Texas, price to be $2 each, 

 only live birds to be paid for. They 

 were shipped by express April 16 and 

 arrived at East Sandwich late in the 

 afternoon of the 23d, having been on the 

 road the greater part oif eight days. 

 Thirty-eight were dead on arrival, the 

 remaining 82 very weak. They were im- 

 mediately put into roomy quarters in a 

 favorable location, lightly fed and wa- 

 tered, but in a few days 43 more had 

 died. The shipping crates seemed large 

 enough for the dozen birds that were in 

 each, and there was plenty of air, grit 

 and feed and a chance for water ; but 

 the kind of feed seemed entirely wrong, 

 being mostly ordinary cracked corn with 

 very little kaffir corn. The remaining 

 birds were held until May 22. when two 

 lots of 8 each were sent for liberation in 

 Reading and Gloucester, 8 to the bird 

 farm at Marsh.fi eld, and the remaining 

 15 placed in breeding quarters. 



The first egg was laid on June 5 at 

 which time 12 breeding birds remained. 

 One hen laid 7 eggs and died, leaving 

 11 birds, one of which died the latter 

 part of July. The last eggs were picked 

 up August 26, at which time but 7 of 

 the birds remained alive. On October 

 1 the last six remaining were released 

 on the grounds, hoping thereby to save 

 them for experiments next season. Total 

 eggs, laid was 107, which, "as nearly as 

 can be reckoned, considering the deaths 

 during the laying season, compared 

 favorably with the record of the native 

 quail. Of the 107 eggs laid 45 were 

 distributed to applicants. The remaining 

 62 were set under bantams and .43 

 hatched, their being 11 infertile ones 

 and five which contained dead germs. 

 This gave a fertility of about 82 per 

 cent, and a hatching per cent of 69. 



Fourteen young were raised, but one 

 nice brood of 18 was lost by accident 

 when a few days old, but for which un- 

 doubtedly as good a percentage would 

 have been attained as with the native 

 quail. Both old and young birds had 

 practically the same conditions and feed 

 as the native birds. The young were 

 retained at the hatchery, none being 

 distributed. The old birds took well to 

 confinement, though they appeared to be 

 more nervous when anyone was about 

 the coops, jumping about instead of hid- 

 ing as the native birds are inclined to do. 

 They have the same calls and the bob- 

 white whistle, are slightly smaller in size, 

 not so much of a whir to their wings 

 when starting, and have a distinct gray- 

 ish cast to their whole plumage instead 

 of jthei more brownlish of the native 

 birds. This effect is readily noticed as 

 a flock starts in the open. 



The Marshfield Bird Farm. — On May 

 28 eight Mexican bobwhite quail were 

 received from the Sandwich Bird Farm. 

 In a few days two of them had died. 

 The remainder after being kept for a 

 while, began to lay a few eggs and they 

 were hatched out with the others. The 

 young which hatched did not seem to 

 have the vitality of the native stock and 

 only a few reached maturity and were 

 released with the rest of the young from 

 here. They received the same care as 

 was given the native stock but did not 

 seem to thrive well in this climate. The 

 six adult birds were released with the 

 rest of the native brood stock. 



Swinehoes. 



Game Breeder: 



Dear Sirs — Can you tell me what 

 young Swinehoe pheasants should be 

 fed on? I have been very successful in 

 raising young Golden and Amherst 

 pheasants (sometimes I have raised 

 every one hatched out of a setting) but 

 I have failed entirely on the Swinehoe. 

 Some of the young Swinehoe lived two 

 weeks, and would eat a meal worm oc- 

 casionally, also some bread soaked in 

 milk, but I could see I did not have the 



