P. J. Lambert—The Culture of Ornamental Pheasants 11


of Pheasants. It is not my wish to dwell on the commercial aspect

of the hobby but many have to consider this side of any hobby they

indulge in: that Pheasants do pay handsomely I have no hesitation

in most emphatically stating. There is never any difficulty of disposing

of our surplus chicks or adults, and at a price that shows a very definite

profit. I think these are the main reasons for the very rapid growth

of the fancy but it must not be forgotten that one of our leading weekly

avicultural papers, I refer to Cage Birds, has done a great deal for

us. It has thrown open its columns to any Pheasant news and by

giving public weekly notes on these birds has surely done much for

the fancy.


Let us for the moment dwell on one aspect that I have mentioned.

It has been said that Pheasants do not require large aviaries. For

many years I was under the impression that aviaries of considerable

dimensions were essential and I was in the habit of advising the

following area, 9 yards long by 4 yards. Then one heard of Pheasants

living happily and breeding well in much smaller spaces and I

determined to go deeper into the matter. I therefore wrote many

letters to my Pheasant-keeping friends in different parts of the world.

The replies astounded me. In America, especially, I discovered that the

aviaries recommended were almost miniature compared to ours. The

results of my investigations have forced me to change my views and

now I have no hesitation in recommending aviaries of about

4 yards by 3 yards. I could furnish many proofs of the adequacy

of such aviaries, I will merely content myself with giving an instance.

An American, who perhaps breeds more ornamental Pheasants than

any other in that country, tells me his aviaries are all of this size for

the smaller type of Pheasant, just a little larger for Reeves, Silvers, etc.

The results prove very conclusively that larger enclosures are not

necessary, furthermore he maintains that he has had better results from

the use of such aviaries. It may be argued that such a statement is

bordering on the ridiculous, yet I can give readers just one instance

of results that staggered me. I saw a Reeves cock and two hens

in an aviary of 7\ feet by 6 feet. Now I was tempted to open the gate

of that enclosure and release the Pheasants but those two hens produced

twenty-nine eggs and twenty-five were fertile and many of the chicks



