27 Pheasants. 



pheasants annually, is to obtain eggs from the preserves 

 in the spring, hatch them under fowls, hand-rear, and 

 turn them out in the summer. In order to supply a 

 sufficiency of eggs, the preserver must, immediately laying 

 time comes round, carefully search all his coverts for nests, 

 looking thoroughly over them, and noting with exactitude 

 the situation of every nid discovered. According to 

 what he learns from such examination as to whether 

 the birds are laying freely or not, so is he able to determine 

 to what extent the nests may be deprived of eggs. If 

 these are being regularly deposited, and things appear to 

 be going on briskly, there can be no harm in taking from 

 each nest day by day up to six or seven eggs. If 

 irregularity in laying be observable, then four or five are 

 sufficient to obtain per nest. In any case, the eggs are 

 collected daily and carefully transported to a place of 

 safety till a large enough number is obtained on which 

 to set the first batch of hens. If necessary, a further 

 quantity is procured for other hens which may be available, 

 but the difficulty is oftener to obtain a sufficient number of 

 broody hens than the eggs. 



Buying eggs annually in place of obtaining them as 

 already described would only become necessary when it 

 is desired to raise the stock at once to so large a number 

 that one's own preserve would not provide the requisite 

 quantity. The bought eggs are of course set off under 

 hens, and the chicks hand-reared and turned out as soon as 

 they are matured enough to look after themselves. 



Buying birds to turn down is only necessary when the 

 present stock of pheasants appears to be rapidly dete- 

 riorating in quality and healthiness. In such case the mere 

 obtaining of eggs from distant preserves and hatching 

 them out is scarcely a sufficiently speedy process, and it is 

 often a better plan to purchase or to exchange a fairly 



