Sept. 3, 189I,J 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



12^ 



REARING GAME BIRDS. 



I AM much interested in the rearing and keeping in 

 confinement of wild game birds. So far I have had 

 very little experience, and I have been able to gain very- 

 little from anything I could get to read on the subject; 

 but I thirLk perhaps some of your readers would be kind 

 enough to give their experience in rearing pheasants, 

 ring neck (English) and golden pheasants, and by doing 

 80 would greatly add to the literature on this subject, 

 which is very sparse. To make a beginning I will tell 

 what I did: 



I placed ten golden pheasant eggs under a game ban- 

 tam about June 11 of this year, and on July 3 six hatched 

 out, and one died in the shell, the other three eggs were 

 clear. For two days I could get the small things to eat 

 nothing. I tried them with hard-boiled egg and bread 

 crumbs, but very little of it they would take. At the 

 advice of a chicken friend I got them some meal worms, 

 these they picked at a little. I then got some maggots 

 which I had fed well on shorts for two days, and these 

 seemed to be what was wanted. Two of the little ones 

 died in less than a week, I think from exhaustion, but 

 the other four never gave me the least anxiety since I 

 got the maggots, which I continued to feed them on for 

 about four weeks, with the addition of a little oatmeal, 

 milk curds and small wheat. They had the run of an 

 inclosed lawn with plenty of shade. Now, if 1 had 

 known that properly prepared maggots were the correct 

 thing, I think I could have raised the whole six birds, 



I did not know how to get this very necessary feed till 

 I was told how, and as I have never seen it in print, I 

 will give you the details, which may be useful to others. 

 Get a beef head, and expose it to the blow fly for ar day 

 or so; then hang it in a flour barrel and cover it over and 

 keep in a warm place. Have a large-sized hole cut in the 

 lower part of the barrel and have plenty of wheaten 

 shorts on the bottom of the barrel. The maggots as they 

 mature drop on the shorts and feed on it, and after about 

 24 hours in this they are nice, dry, firm worms; and are 

 fi.t to feed to the young birds. I give each one five or six 

 .of them at a time, three or four times each day; and it 

 was deUghtful to see how anxious they were to get them. 

 In about a»week they would play all over me whpn they 

 expected a maggot. 



By cultivating the maggots in the above manner there 

 is nothing in the least disagreeable about it, as the head 

 is placed or hung at the top of the barrel and covered 

 over and the maggots are taken out of the dry meal at 

 the bottom. Like many others, I thought it woiild be a 

 horrid aff air, but I was most agreeably surprised with the 

 rGsult 



If this is of any benefit, I will be much pleased; and if 

 some others of your readers wiU give their experience in 

 this line I will be more so. M. B. 



London, Ontario. 



A correspondent, "N. E. J.," writes: "Can you give me 

 any information as to what has been or can be done 

 toward introducing the Mongolian pheasant in the east- 

 ern United States? I am interested in a ducking shore 

 on Chesapeake Bay at mauth of Middle River (near Bal- 

 timore), where we own nearly 400 acres of land, much of 

 it low and wet and in timber. How do you think they 

 would thrive in such a place, and can you refer me to 

 the experience of any sportsman in this part of the 

 country?" 



In response to an inquiry from this oflice Mr. Hugh I). 

 Auchincloss, of New York, says: "Replying to your 

 favor of the 21st inst., inquiring what success I have had 

 in introdiicing the Mongolian pheasant into the Eastern 

 States, I beg to advise that as yet I have not had the birds 

 a sufficient time to make a report of any interest or 

 value, I did not obtain the old birds from Oregon until 

 late in June, and have at present eleven birds (|:'our cocks 

 and seven hens), all of which are in capital condition. 

 Two of the hens after arrival laid about three dozen eggs 

 and from these I have so far raised about a dozen young 

 birds. The transportation of the old birds so late in the 

 spring stopped their laying, so this breeding season is 

 virtually lost. I also obtained several dozen eggs from 

 Oregon, none of which hatched out, the long railway 

 journey having addled them, I find that the old birds 

 are very wild when kept in confinement, but are very 

 hardy and easy to care for, and thrive very well on small 

 grains, wheat, barley, etc., with plenty of green stuff. 

 They ai-e fine powerful birds, great fighters and of more 

 beautiful plumage than the English pheasant, and so far 

 I can see no reason why they should not be easily bred in 

 the Eastern States. As soon as I can gather any facts 

 that may be of value to intending breeders I will take 

 pleasure in again writing you on this subject. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have had for some time the intention of writing you 

 from this unlikeliest of places for sport, and the sight of 

 your issue of July 23 just to hand, has had the effect of 

 settling me to carry out my intention. The first matter 

 that I would note is "Jay Beebe's" failure to rear the 

 young gi'oitse he hatched under a hen. In this same issue 

 you have reviewed my "Birds of Manitoba," and I am 

 indeed gratified to find it so favorably held by the leading 

 journal of sport in the Western Hemisphere. Among the 

 notes which have unfortunately been crowded out of this 

 work of mine was a chapter on the rearing of the sharp- 

 tailed grouse in confinement, and how I accomplished it 

 with perfect success. I am sorry not to be able to refer 

 "Jay Beebe" to this, it is so exactly what he wants. In 

 brief, however, the eggs were hatched by a Brahma hen; 

 she managed some thirty young grouse. This was a 

 mistake; another time I would take two or three bantam 

 or game hens, for the Brahma by her clumsiness tram- 

 pled several to death. I at once put the little ones into a 

 tight pen on the open ijrairie, their natural habitat, and 

 fed them with ants, ant's eggs, flies, worms, finely 

 chopped meat, oatmeal and strawberries, the only avail- 

 able fruit. I found them extremely fond of drinking, 

 and perfectly enraptured whenever I gave them a panful 



of ashes to dust themselves in. I moved the frame or 

 pen whenever the grass inclosed got stale. In this way I 

 reared half of those hatched: the deaths were chiefly 

 caused by the clumsiness of the hen, as stated. It is 

 necessary to cover the pen with a netting, as the young 

 of all grouse fly at the end of a week. 



Too much stress cannot be laid on frequent changes of 

 locality of the pen; with a change every two or three 

 days, a pen 20ft. square will do very well for 15 to SO 

 young grouse and their foster mother. 



I have had some experience with English pheasants 

 {Colchieus jyhasianus), and all points to the same conclu- 

 sion — viz., young game birds must have animal food, 

 natual surroundings and protection from the wet. 



Ernest E. Thompson. 

 Paris, Aug. i. 



For several months wo have followed with lively 

 interest the enterprise of Dr. W. O. Blaisdell, of Macomb, 

 111., in his endeavor to seciirefrom India a stock of black 

 partridges to introduce into the United States. For a 

 long time it appeared that his efforts would be futile, and 

 when at length the birds were shipped their number 

 dwindled until but three were left alive on their arrival 

 in New York. On our recommendation the reception of 

 the_ birds at this port Avas entrusted to Mr. E. B. Gold- 

 smith, a Custom House broker, who is deserving of cred- 

 itable mention for liis part in so promptly forwarding the 

 feathered immigrants. The safe arrival of the three sur- 

 vivors is told in the subjoined account. Dr. Blaisdell's 

 pi-oject was commented on in the Asiaiif which is the 

 Forest and Stream of India, and the notice there given 

 it brought out the following letter from a British officer, 

 from which it appears that if the newly imported game 

 shall thrive, it will supply a valuable addition to our 

 game fauna: 



Dehaka "noON, N. W. Provinpes, India, Feb. 16, 1891.— Dr. W. O. 

 BlamlcU, Macjiinli, JR.: Dhak Str— I see by the Asian that you 

 are goinj? to try and iatroduce the Indian black partridge into 

 Illinoie. Tne good wishes of all Indian sportsmen will be with 

 you, and I heartily wish you may succeed. I am afraid five pairs 

 are rather a small number to try conclusions with, bat if you fail 

 I hope you will try again. His limit in India is a small one, and 

 this is what makes me think he may be. a hard bird to acclimatize 

 in the States. Northward he ascends the Himalayahs to about 

 5,000ft., and southward he extends tn about half way down the 

 continent, to a line about east and west of Indore, where he is re- 

 placed by the painted partridge— a closely allied type in which 

 both sexes nro plumaged almost exactly like the hen of the black 

 partridge. His range eastward is also limiterl. as he apparently 

 dislikes the warm, moist climate toward the Bay of Bengal; but 

 westward he extends tar into Afghanistan and Persia, where not 

 not more than five inches of rain falls throughout the year. 

 Don't turn him out in the forest. What he likes is low. thick 

 scrub or high grass thicket near wheat fields arid water. By hieh 

 grass, 1 mean grass from 8 to 10ft. high; your ordinary prairie 

 grass would not be high enough for him. He never mounts a 

 tree, and dislikes their shade, but occasionally perches on a low 

 stump to crow in the morning. His food is essentially seed- 

 wheat, maize, and above all, mustard and oil seed. He brfieds out 

 here in dense high pass jungle or tamarisk thickets, not far from 

 water. He likes a bright sun in summer, and in winter does not 

 mind a fair degree of frost, but he won't stand snow. 



If you should find Illinois too hot for him you might try the 

 painted partridge which is common in southern India.-,. If too 

 cold, the "Chickor." This is a magnificent bird twice the size of 

 the black partridge, and excellent shooting and eating. His range 

 is very wide— from Scinde (the hottest part of India, and in climate 

 and appearance very much like Arizona), tip to 10,0(X)ft. in the 

 Himalayahs; and he extends away through Persia and Afghanis- 

 tan to Turkey and Eastern Europe, which shows thaf he is a hardy 

 bird and able to adai3t himself to great extent of climate. He 

 stands confinement in a cage well, whicli the black partridge does 

 nof, and is one of the hardiest birds in India, appearing to mind 

 neither extreme heat nor long spells of frost and snow. He dis- 

 likes level plains— an<( here perhaps Illinois would not suit him. 

 He prefers hilly and stony ground— the slopes of bluffs overlook- 

 ing rivtrs and the steep sidt-s of caiSons and ravines near fields. 

 He eats all kinds of seeds, especially maize, and in the Himalayahs 

 lives on the outskirts of tlie village fields. On the hot, dry plains 

 of Scinde he is equally abundant, but always near hills or broken 

 ground. 



Pardon my writing you this long letter when I am a perfect 

 stranger to you. My excuse is, first, that I am interested in your 

 undertaking, and secondly, when I was traveling in the United 

 States some years ago, I received many kindnesses from Ameri- 

 cans whicli 1 will not readily forget. 



W. C. Ramsden, Lieut.-Colonel, India. 



The Macomb Journal gives this report of their recep- 

 tion there: 



■'We are the three sole survivors of a family of nine little birds 

 that sailed from Calcutta, India, ou June 18. Expressmen and 

 others who have charge, feed and water us well until we reach 

 Dr. W. O. Blaisdell, Macomb, Illinois, United States of America." 

 [Dated London, England, Aug. 3, 1891.] 



Such was the label on the box containing three black 

 India partridges (two males and one female) that -arrived 

 by express in this city Saturday night last, and have been 

 viewed by hundreds and hundreds of curious and investi- 

 gating eyes since. They were the birds that Dr. W. O. 

 Blaisdell, of this city, has been negotiating for for over a 

 year. Having brought to our country a number of 

 Chinese pheasants from Oregon, he set about the plan of 

 bringing here some of these wonderful game birds from 

 the other side of the globe— the black India partridge. 

 He opened correspondence with the American Consul at 

 Calcutta, The Consul, Mr. S. G, Merrill, of Indianapolis, 

 placed the letter in the hands of a birtl dealing firm, 

 Messrs. Rutledge & Co., who replied that the bird was 

 difficult to capture alive, but they would procure them 

 at so much per brace. Heading a subscription list with 

 a liberal sum himself, the Doctor went among some of 

 our business men who subscribed the funds, and soon a 

 draft was on its way to Minister Merrill, at Calcutta, 

 with directions to purchase the birds. For months after 

 Messrs. Rutledge & Co., the dealers, have been endeavor- 

 ing to secure the birds, and a number of letters passed 

 between them and Mr. Merrill and Dr. Blaisdell. i'ailing 

 to get the buds otherwise, the merchants sent a man on 

 special trip into the mountains, and after, as he writes, 

 spending more than the birds brought him, they were 

 secured. Finally the little fellows w^ere cooped and 

 set sail on their long voyage. A letter from Consul 

 Merrill stated that he went to the ship and saw 

 the birds aboard, one was dead, another sick; he 

 feared none would arrive alive. Counting the sick 

 one there were nine that started. Down the Bay of Ben- 

 gal by the Island of Ceylon, around the point of India 

 and into the Indian Ocean; out of this water across the 

 Arabian Sea to Aden, at mouth of the Red Sea : through 

 this body of water and the Suez Canal, into and across 

 the Mediterranean; out through the Straights of Gibraltar, 

 up the Atlantic along the coasts of Spain and Portugal, 

 across the Bay of Biscay into the English Channel to 

 London. Thence back down that water across the broad 

 Atlantic to New York, and by rail to Macomb. They 

 journeyed over 16,000 miles — two-thirds the distance 

 around the globe. Without doubt, they are the first of 



their species ever in America. Taken as game, the 

 persons who would eat them would be consuming meat 

 that cost $25 per pound. A.s before stated, but three ar- 

 rived alive, btit taking into consideration the distance 

 traveled and the different hands they went through, it is 

 a marvel almost that they got through. 



The bird is not very large, but beautiful. He is like- 

 wise an itnportant personage, as the three are probably 

 the sole representatives of their breed on the western con- 

 tinent. The birds will be on exhibition at our county 

 fair next week, and on account of the extreme rarity of 

 the species are certainly worth seeing. If they fail to 

 propagate and fill our woods, you will want to say at least 

 you saw the only three India partridges ever in the United 

 States; while if they multiply to millions it will be a 

 feather in your cap to remark, "I saw the original three 

 of this bird that now abounds as thickly as sparrows." 

 So do not fail to see them at the fair next week. 



In a late issue of the Philadelphia Ledger we find this 

 account of successful quail breeding in that cicy: 



The rearing of quail is Mr. Harry Rudolph's pet amuse- 

 ment. He is a thorough sportstnan, and, to use his own 

 words, "would rather gun than eat." Quail and pheas- 

 ant shooting is his delight, and he confesses he always 

 had a fancy for the game little Bob White. About three 

 years ago he was given a brace of live quail while gun- 

 ning at Newkirk station, in New Jersey. These were the 

 nucleus of his present stock. He brought them to his 

 home, at 1800 Bouvier street, and fitted up a cage for 

 them in his little back lot. He gradually acquired a few 

 other birds, which paired off and began to lay and hatch 

 egga during the summer. The small ones were success- 

 ftilly hatched out, but died very shortly after. Mr. Ru- 

 dolph determined to discover the cause of their early de- 

 mise, and, knowing it must be lack of proper food, deter- 

 mined to watch the habits of the older birds and experi- 

 ment upon them with varieties of grain and insect food. 

 In spite of the amusement of his friends, who considered 

 his attempt impossible, Mr. Rudolph set to work in earnest 

 to raise qtiail, and, after numerous failures, was able in 

 his second year to successfully hatch and raise a brood of 

 quail. He had hit upon the right method of feeding 

 them, and the young birds were as strong and healthy as 

 if born under natural conditions. Since then he reckons 

 that 65 per cent, of his young birds have been success- 

 fully brought to maturity. As statistics show that hardly 

 50 per cent, of wild game birds attain their full size, 

 owing to the number of their natural foes, such as hawks 

 and vermin, this is an extremely good record. 



In a small yard, scarcely 20ft. square, Mr. Rudolph 

 keeps his pets. The inclosure is shut in on three sides by 

 a wooden fence, and on the fourth by the rear wall of the 

 house. Around the borders are beds of geranium and 

 small shrubs. In the center is a patch of grass, with a tall 

 plant in the middle. On one side of the lot are the cages, 

 in which three brace are j)aired ofl: in separate coops. In 

 the fourth cage is a lonely and disconsolate hen, while 

 running loose about the yard are two cocks and a hen, 

 with three chicks. The latter are a remarkable brood. 

 They were hatched, with five others, on the 8th of July, 

 which is nearly one month ahead of the breeding season. 

 The deftmct ones were killed by the inclement weather 

 or some other cause common to infant qtiail, but the sur- 

 vivors remain perfectly healthy and are already able to 

 care for themselves. 



In addition to rushing the breeding season, the hen one 

 week ago commenced to lay a fresh lot of fifteen eggs in 

 a new nest, upon which she will no doubt shortly sit. 

 Moreover, in another corner of the yard the cocks have 

 prepared another nest, as if the hen contemplated rear- 

 ing a third family this season. 



The other pairs in the coops have each a nestful of 

 eggs, which Mr. Rudolph exjTects will shortly be hatched. 

 When the next brood are born the chicks loose in the 

 yard, together with the parent birds, will be shut up to 

 make room for the newcomers. Owing to the extreme 

 pugnacity of the cocks, it is impossible to let more than 

 one x^air loose at a time, or the lives of the birds would 

 be endangered. The pairing off of two cocks with one 

 hen, although rare, is occasionally fotmd. The two male 

 birds who champion the little mother hen live in peace 

 and harmony, and both work together at making the 

 nests and take their turns in sitting on the eggs. 



The principal food which Mr. Rudolph gives to his pets 

 is grain; grasshoppers also form part of their dietary. 

 But the secret by w^hich he manages to raise the young 

 Mr. Rudolph refuses to reveal. He states that it is some- 

 thing natural to the birds in wild life, btit beyond that 

 he will not commit himself. The quail are very fond of 

 hempseed, but they geikso fat on it that its value as 

 wholesome food is very small. It would soon kill them 

 off. It is useful, however, in feeding hens which have 

 been setting in order to bring them back to their proper 

 condition. 



Mr, Rtidolph states that he spends hours each day in 

 merely watching. "By that means," he says, "I can 

 thoroughly learn their habits, so that I get to' know the 

 meaning and object of their every movement." 



In preparing the nest, he has noticed that the quail 

 does not pick up the straw or piece of hay in the beak, as 

 other birds do, but, by a graceful motion of the neck, it 

 throws it over the back, itntil it has collected a heap of 

 bits behind its feet. The straw glides down the smooth 

 back of the bird and falls to the ground. At first it 

 would seem that this action of the quail is only a futile 

 endeavor to poise it, but, as the bird does so every time 

 until a pile is collected, it evidently has an object in so 

 doing. This is possibly to clean the particles, for when a 

 sufficient pile has been prepared, the dainty little bird 

 throws the bits on its back, this time letting none fall, 

 and bears them off in triumph to the nest. The latter is 

 of loose construction, and, alike in the woods or in cap- 

 tivity, is laid in a small hollow. The egg is pure white, 

 and resembles that of a pigeon. The usual quota is from 

 17 to 91, and the time of hatching about 22i days. The 

 young birds are helped out of the eggs by the parents, 

 who, with their sharp beaks, cut off the butt or wide end. 

 The chick then hops out, and at once begms to run about 

 and pick up food. The infant bird is covered with a soft, 

 striped coat of brown down, and resembles a mouse in 

 the way it runs about and crouches in the grass. They 

 are soon independent of the parent birds, and but for the 

 danger from their many foes would need no protection. 

 The watchful eye of the mother looks out for the danger, 

 and on the slightest alarm is ready with a protecting 

 wing. 



