Practical Game-Preserving, 164 



the enclosure may be left open during the day-time, so that 

 the parent birds may lead out their broods when so inclined. 



Once the birds with their youngsters leave the enclosure, 

 they require no further attention than is accorded to wild- 

 brooded birds, except that at first it may be advisable to 

 provide a small supply of suitable food in such places 

 where they are likely to discover it. It will thus be seen 

 that, whatever the conditions under which the birds are 

 hatched out, they are reared under purely natural ones. 

 The birds thus hatched prove as hardy and as good 

 before the guns as any others, the percentage of birds 

 hatched is larger than with the wild ones, and they 

 exhibit none of that tendency to " pack " which is so 

 marked a feature of partridges hand-reared in the ordinary 

 manner. Of course the surplus eggs collected have to be 

 dealt with under the latter conditions ; but, as will be 

 shown presently, there are means available for successfully 

 combating this difficulty. 



There is an alternative plan, which has much to recom- 

 mend it in the case of preserves not offering the conditions 

 of site mentioned in the foregoing, and where, for 

 reasons of one kind or another, it is not possible to 

 spread the birds about in the big coops. In this 

 instance a large enclosure of quadrate form is provided 

 (Fig. 24), having at two or more of its corners smaller 

 pens, 1 2ft. by 6ft. wide, and 4ft. to 6ft. high, with a 

 hinged door on the inner side. These smaller pens 

 must be shielded from the main enclosure by walls of 

 sods of turf, bracken, or rough litter, to 3ft. or 4ft. 

 high, as must be also the case with the walls of the large 

 enclosure, unless it be set up amongst such thick, low 

 cover as I have described. In such case the birds will 

 require pinioning with the leather and rubber clips which 

 are manufactured for the purpose. 



