Nov. 12, 1910.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
793 
900 acres, and to do this keeps him busy. The 
head keeper is constantly traveling about on 
horseback, receives reports from his men and 
keps himself thoroughly well informed as to 
conditions everywhere. About ten years ago a 
series of bad breeding seasons in different parts 
of England greatly reduced the stock of par¬ 
tridges, and it was then that English landowners 
began the experiment of trying to rear par¬ 
tridges artifically. In some parts of England a 
business of selling stolen partridge eggs grew 
up and this made matters very difficult for all 
landowners who desired to procure eggs for 
artificial hatching. The problem was at last 
solved by the importation of guaranteed eggs 
from Hungary and these have been extensively 
used. 
With young partridges, as with the young of 
other gallinaceous birds, the question of food 
for the early stages of the bird life becomes a 
puzzling one, and we understand that as yet no 
satisfactory artificial substitute has been devised 
for this insect food. The old-fashioned custard, 
the yolk of hard-boiled eggs and ants’ eggs are 
still the chief dependence of him who tries to 
rear partridges. Nevertheless, as more and more 
people are constantly experimenting in this field, 
it is probable that before long the subject will 
be much better understood than it is at present. 
Even now artificial rearing has been quite suc¬ 
cessful and bags have been largely increased. 
•This has been done chiefly by setting the eggs 
under domestic hens of moderate or small size. 
Under such hens are put all eggs which have 
been taken from nests which for any reason it 
has not been thought best to leave in their 
natural position, and to the eggs taken from 
such nests are added a certain number of im¬ 
ported eggs. 
When the chicks are hatched, the coops are 
put out in a field on which the grass has been 
mowed, and the grass is allowed to grow as the 
birds grow. The coops are often moved and 
the birds have an opportunity to forage for 
themselves, and thus to secure a certain amount 
of natural food. With this treatment a very 
large percentage of birds have been reared. 
The following account is given of the methods 
in use on an estate in England—Eynsham Hall. 
Before the arrival of a consignment of Hun¬ 
garian eggs all preparations are made. Small 
common hens or bantam hens ready to set have 
been secured. The boxes in which the hens set 
are without a floor, but are partly filled with 
dry earth on which some hay is laid. If a con¬ 
signment contains a thousand eggs, one-half may 
be set on one day and one-half the day after. 
Sometimes the eggs are tested in water to see 
whether they are sound. A good egg sinks at 
once and lies on its side. If rather stale it tends 
to lie with the large end somewhat raised above 
the bottom. Eggs that are spoiled float. The 
rule is to put nineteen eggs under each hen, a 
greater number than the much smaller mother 
partridge can manage. 
The eggs begin to hatch after twenty-four 
days have passed. Sometimes, after hatching 
has begun, the eggs are put in an incubator so 
that the litle bird may hatch out and become 
dry without incurring the danger of being step¬ 
ped on by the hen. At this place it is common 
to leave two eggs under the hen and to permit 
her to hatch them out, since a hen is not so 
likely to trample two chicks as if the number 
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When writing say you saw the ad. in “Forest and Stream." 
