PHEASANT REARING 
the corners, so that the hens can get behind and lay their eggs in fancied 
concealment. It is very conducive to the bad habit of eating the eggs if 
there is no place for laying, and the eggs are dropped all over the enclosure. 
If this should occur it is important to find out at once which hen is guilty, 
and to remove her to a separate pen, lest she should teach the others to 
adopt the same habit. Sometimes it is difficult to discover the culprit, and 
some assistance in doing so may be found by doctoring an egg with a 
little washing-blue, some of which may dye the feathers adjoining the 
beak if she indulges in this vagary. After she is removed an attempt to 
cure her may be made by inserting something obnoxious in an egg, such 
as paraffin ; but it must be remembered that remedies like mustard and 
cayenne pepper which might deter a barn-door fowl, may, on the con- 
trary, be looked upon rather as delicacies by a pheasant! Another plan 
is to soak an egg in a strong solution of caustic soda, and let it get 
thoroughly dry before leaving it in the way of the offending hen, while 
yet another remedy is to leave artificial eggs about for some time pre- 
vious to eggs being laid, so that the hens may make the attempt to eat 
them if they so wish, and, being foiled, will be deterred from attacking 
the real eggs when they appear. 
If pheasants have been caught up very late they will be extremely wild, 
and will be continually flying up against the roof unless their wings are 
cut, but the manner in which this is done depends upon what is intended 
to be done with the hens after they have finished laying. If the intention 
is to turn them out before they have quite finished laying, to give them 
a chance of hatching a few eggs for themselves, it is better to cut away 
only the broad web of three or four of the large wing -feathers, which will 
prevent the birds from rising to a height in the air, but still enable them 
to fly sufficiently to get out of the way of a dog or fox. This method also 
does not prevent the hen from brooding small chicks, which the total loss 
of these feathers will do. Protection is also retained for important internal 
organs, by the closing of the quills when folded with the narrow outside 
part of the web still adhering ; and this is further enhanced if the first two 
feathers are left untouched, and also a tip to each feather of about an inch 
of the broad web. Only one wing should be thus treated, as this causes the 
bird to be lop-sided, a further hindrance to effective flight. 
But if it is purposed to retain the hens until the full clutch is laid, the 
wing may be cut in the usual manner, if preferred ; and then the stumps 
had better be pulled out, which can be done without difficulty, as soon 
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