Practical Game-Preserving. 146 



At from a fortnight to three weeks the food may be 

 varied, and thence onward until they are two months old 

 the following diet may be given in place of the above, the 

 custard being gradually dispensed with : 



(2) Desiccated meat 8 parts. 



Green food 12 ,, 



Millet or dari 16 ,, 



Canary-seed 12 ,, 



Hempseed 4 



Linseed or rapeseed 2 ,, 



Crushed blue peas (fine) 2 ,, 



Crushed maize (fine) 8 ,, 



64 parts. 



Where any number of partridges is sought to be reared, 

 it is better on the whole to rely chiefly upon the 

 partridge meal specially prepared by trustworthy manu- 

 facturers of such articles. In this case, the custard and 

 the green food would be added to the meal in such 

 proportions as are requisite. The food of young partridges 

 should be varied as much as possible day by day, but if 

 they always have a few insects and plenty of green stuff, 

 the choice of food may be left to the preserver. It is a 

 mistake to place young partridges on a grain diet too soon. 

 In a natural state they scarcely touch any at all until two 

 or three months old, and it certainly cannot be beneficial 

 to force them to the consumption of dry wheat, barley, or 

 oats before they are prepared for it. 



An important part of the hand-rearing of partridges is 

 that the coops and runs confining the chicks be moved 

 twice daily on to fresh ground. This is a most necessary 

 proceeding, for although somewhat less liable than 

 pheasants to the many little ills which attack coop-reared 



