Practical Game-Preserving. 



P. torquatus or P. colchicus produces excellent shoot- 

 ing birds, larger in size as a rule than the ordinary ones. 

 When hens of the former species are mated with the 

 Japanese Pheasant the result is in every way satisfactory. 

 The hens prove most prolific, and the resulting stock leaves 

 nothing to be desired. 



I would now direct attention to several species of 

 pheasants which have already been introduced and may 

 be introduced into British coverts with varying degrees of 

 success and benefit. Some of them are mainly suitable 

 for rearing in aviaries or pens and turning away, others 

 will cross with the ordinary species, and most of them will 

 interbreed with one another. It is, however, to be 

 remarked that some discretion should be exercised by the 

 ordinary preserver in connection with some of these species 

 whose permanent influence upon birds in covert has not 

 been wholly proved, for it may be that experiments with 

 them conducted in connection with aviary birds may not 

 produce such favourable results amongst the wild stock 

 of the preserve. At the same time, there is no doubt that 

 considerable room exists for improvement in much of our 

 ordinary pheasant stock, and that it is greatly in the 

 interest of the ordinary preserver to do what he can in 

 this direction. Many of our leading owners of big pre- 

 serves have devoted much pains and money both to improve 

 their general stock and to add to the variety of the quarry 

 provided for shooting, besides adorning their coverts with 

 new and beautiful species. With the benefit of their 

 experience as guide, the generality of preservers on a large 

 and small scale should easily be able to follow so good an 

 example. 



Prominent amongst the pheasants which have been 

 introduced into our coverts with a certain amount of success 

 is Reeves' Pheasant (P. reevesii), but it is questionable 



