NATURAL HISTORY. 



When a bird or a wild animal is killed, that is the end of it. If photographed, it may still live and its educational 



and scientific value is multiplied indefinitely. 



SUCCESSFUL PHEASANT BREEDERS. 



London, Ont. 

 Editor Recreation : 



I have just seen the April number of 

 your interesting magazine, and my notice 

 has been drawn to an article by Mr. E. 

 F. Titus, in re Mongolian or Chinese 

 pheasants. For many years I have studied 

 the characteristics of the 2 distinct species 

 of ringneck pheasants ; that is, the Eng- 

 lish and the Chinese. I think, with Mr. 

 Titus, the name Mongolian is a mistake. 

 These 2 varieties should be named after 

 the countries from which they were ob- 

 tained. No doubt the English pheasant 

 was of the same stock, originally, as the 

 present Bohemian, but was improved into 

 its present form by the introduction of the 

 Chinese ringneck, which supplied the want 

 that was felt in regard to the old English 

 pheasant as a bird suitable for the game 

 preserves which were to be used for shoot- 

 ing purposes. The English bird had been 

 so much domesticated that it was losing its 

 power of flight, so in order to improve 

 this the Chinese pheasant was introduced, 

 and now, according to the Darwinian 

 theory of the survival of the fittest, the 

 English pheasant has merged itself into the 

 Chinese ; but, with the usual accompani- 

 ment of any cross, the English ringneck 

 is a larger bird than either the old Eng- 

 lish pheasant or the Chinese pheasant. At 

 the same time the English ringneck re- 

 tains many of the characteristics of both. 

 It is not so shy as the Chinese, and it 

 is much stronger on the wing than the 

 original English. It is more easily raised 

 than the Chinese. On account of its great- 

 er wildness, or shyness, the young of the 

 Chinese pheasant are much more apt to 

 get into trouble than the young English 

 ringnecks are; but if the instructions given 

 by Mr. Foster are carried out there is no 

 reason why the Chinese pheasant should 

 not be raised in increasing numbers each 

 year. His article in July Recreation is 

 well worth reading and following by any 

 fancier of pheasants. 



I have found an even better sitter than 

 the Pekin bantam, which no doubt is a use- 

 ful mother but is objectionable on account 

 of its heavy leg feathers. The mother I 

 refer to is a cross between the "Silken" 

 and the game bantam. This is a fair sized 

 bird, capable of covering 11 or 13 pheasant 

 eggs, is quiet and a most notorious setter. 

 You can be sure of them at any time, as 

 they only lay about 6 or 8 eggs and then 

 set. You can break them up in 4 days and 

 they start laying again in about 10 days, 



135 



so you can have them to order at any time 

 from one year's end to the other. 



Another point, which Mr. Foster says 

 nothing about and which I think it worth 

 - noting, is the season when the young birds 

 •do best. In this climate, at least, the last 

 week in May is almost too early. I have 

 better and stronger birds if hatched out 

 about the middle of June. This may be ac- 

 counted for by the weather often being 

 cold and damp in May. The same cause 

 prevents the development of maggots. Sun 

 and heat are needed to make flies pro- 

 duce the eggs from which maggots come; 

 and maggots are necessary to the success- 

 ful raising of pheasants. 



Dr. J. S. Niven. 



Judging from the failures described by 

 those who have tried to raise pheasants, it 

 must be a delicate undertaking, and doubt- 

 less many who are curious to try it do 

 not make the attempt after reading such 

 articles. They should not be so easily dis- 

 couraged. Raising pheasants is not more 

 difficult than raising common barnyard 

 fowls, and failures only result from not 

 having a knowledge of the right medicine. 



First, do not hatch the eggs in an incu- 

 bator. It may be hard work to get enough 

 old hens, but this is the only means to be 

 successful. Even if you have to pay $1 

 each for the old hens, it will, in the end, 

 prove cheaper than to have the eggs 

 hatched in an incubator, and, later, see the 

 chicks die. Every spring, for a number of 

 years, I have raised thousands of pheas- 

 ants, the loss averaging, in the most dis- 

 agreeable years, not more than 20 per 

 cent., with the exception of 2 years when 

 incubators were used, the loss then being 

 about 65 per cent. Had I continued the 

 use of the incubators, my employer would 

 have been unable to invite his friends for 

 pheasant shooting in the fall. 



The cost of raising pheasants is about $1 

 each, including hunting the eggs, food and 

 wages, with the exception of my salary, 

 which was paid from another fund. Give 

 to each hen but 12 eggs. The chicks need 

 not be fed until the second day. For the 

 first week, feed hard boiled eggs and 

 about 1-3 lettuce, mixed and cut fine. 

 Small grain, such as wheat, may be fed the 

 first 3 weeks. Later, ground corn may be 

 fed until the birds are large enough to eat 

 the_ whole kernels without serious results, 

 which should be in about 5 or 6 weeks 

 after hatching. Two meals are sufficient 

 each day, if the birds can go around free. 

 Do not discontinue the use of lettuce, 



