180 



THE GAME BREEDER 



had been shot and lightly buried. 

 — The Game Keeper's Note Book. 



At the preserve of the Long Island 

 Game Breeders Association steel traps 

 baited with fish caught both cats and 

 skunks. 



Traps for Pheasants and Ducks. 



A very simple trap to take up pheas- 

 ants and to trap wild ducks is a good 

 sized pen made of chicken wire with one 

 or more openings, after the style of a lob- 

 ster pot. 



A round cylinder of wire with one 

 end opening through the side of the pen 

 and the other a few feet inside is all 

 that is necessary but if the opening at 

 the side of the pen is larger than the 

 inner end of the cylinder the birds will 

 go in more readily. 



Corn or wheat scattered on a line 

 leading to and through the opening will 

 be followed by the birds to the grain 

 liberally scattered inside the pen. The 

 birds will run around the sides of the 

 pen, jumping over the cylinder entrance 

 and do not seem to have sense enough 

 to go out as they came in. 



Captain Oates, in his. book on wild 

 ducks, describes another very simple pen 

 to trap ducks which requires an attend- 

 ant. • 



A wire pen is constructed at the edge 

 of the water • frequented by the ducks 

 with the front on the water open. The 

 entire front slides up and is held by a 

 When this is pulled by the attendant in 

 simple catch to which a cord is attached, 

 ambush some distance away the front 

 falls and the ducks within are caught. 

 Tame mallards are used to decoy the 

 ducks into the pen. The wild ducks, see- 

 ing the decoys feeding, readily follow 

 them and often a good number are taken 

 at a time. 



same species, seeking to deprive it of its 

 prey. Both birds had attained a con- 

 siderable height when the robber, after 

 making several unsuccessful attempts 

 from above, darted in from below and 

 fastened upon the rabbit, wresting it 

 from the opponent. Hawk number two 

 was turned several times in the air by 

 the falling rabbit, and, before it could 

 regain its equilibrium, had lost its hold 

 on the ill-gotten treasure. Just at that 

 instant hawk number three appeared on 

 the scene and, swooping down, picked 

 up the coveted prize before it had 

 reached the ground and made away with 

 it, unpursued. — Oregon Sportsman. 



Number of Pheasant Eggs and 

 Chicks. 



From 15 to 17 is the proper number of 

 pheasant eggs to be placed under a com- 

 mon hen and a similar number of chicks 

 should be placed in each coop on the 

 rearing field. Fifteen is a safe number 

 for the average hen but some hens will! 

 handle 17 nicely. 



Hawks Fight Over Rabbit. 



Mr. and Mrs. Bart Shea, of Burns, 

 report a very interesting sight viewed 

 from their farm near Crow Camp, one 

 day during the past winter. 



A large American goshawk had caught 

 a rabbit and was carrying it away when it 

 was attacked by another hawk, of the 



The Kitchen Garden. 



An ordinary kitchen garden which is 

 not weeded too closely makes an excel- 

 lent feeding ground for young pheasants. 

 The beans, asparagus, potatoes, corn, let- 

 tuce, beets and other vegetables and the 

 small fruits all have a variety of insects 

 and the birds will procure many green 

 weed seeds ; the lettuce and grass all will 

 be sampled by the young pheasants. 

 Upon several occasions when I cared 

 more about the pheasants than I did 

 about the garden I reared several fine 

 broods by letting the hens run with the 

 young birds in the garden. They were 

 fed very little usually when the hen 

 brought them in to the coops where they 

 were shut up for the night; many days 

 they received no attention and were not 

 fed at all. 



Most beginners, I am sure, feed 

 their young pheasants too much. A very 

 little hard boiled egg, grated and served 

 with the pheasant meal and a very little 

 chick-grain as the birds grow older is all 

 they require, and when they have a good: 



