73 Pheasants. 



it will probably be in search of this when it gives out that 

 they will evince that strong disposition to stray which is so 

 marked a feature of hand-reared birds. The keeper must 

 therefore feed his birds accordingly. 



Great diversity of opinion also prevails as to what are 

 the best grains for pheasant-feeding ; but if it be remem- 

 bered, as I have before pointed out, that upon the nature 

 of the soil depends to a very large extent the nature of 

 the birds reared and maintained upon it, it will be amply 

 clear to everyone that a system of feeding found to be 

 entirely effective and beneficial upon one preserve or upon 

 one beat may not prove so upon another. Of late years 

 there has been a great deal more maize used for pheasant- 

 feeding than was previously the case ; but I am far from 

 agreeing with those who maintain that maize is the best 

 all-round food for covert pheasants. In fact, I go 

 further and hold it for true that it is very easy to err in 

 too great use of, or too close adherence to, maize for the 

 purpose. In the first place, the varieties of maize 

 obtainable on our markets differ considerably in form and 

 quality, and although the various sorts do not offer 

 sufficient difference when given ground and scalded to 

 young pheasants, discrimination is necessary in selecting 

 the kinds to be given whole to mature birds. For this 

 purpose the best sorts are those known as Odessa, Galatz 

 or Foxanian, and River Plate maize. These are all round 

 moderately small sorts, but not so small as Cinquantino 

 maize coming from Odessa or the Danube, which, although 

 the finest qualities there are, run so small in the grain that 

 they unduly encourage and permit their consumption by 

 small wild birds when fed to pheasants in covert. When 

 choosing maize for pheasant-feeding, it is necessary to 

 pay proper attention to the condition of the grain, as if it 

 has been heated on the voyage it may not be fit to feed to 



