returned empty-handed, though admir- 
ing this splendid bird more than ever. 
Soon after this the idea of raising 
some pheasants began to take shape. 
I secured an excellent book on pheas- 
ants, and absorbed quite a lot of in- 
formation about the different species, 
_ the history of their introduction to vari- 
ous countries, and methods of propa- 
gating them. I learned that the term 
Mongolian applied to the pheasants 
commonly known here is a misnomer, 
as the Mongolian is an entirely differ- 
ent species, while our pheasant having 
the ring marking around the neck is 
the Chinese pheasant. 
By inquiries and correspondence I 
found that our State Conservation 
Commission issues licenses for the 
propagation of wild game, and that 
eggs and birds can be purchased from 
other licensed breeders, also that the 
commission will supply to responsible 
persons, pheasant eggs from its game 
farms for hatching the birds to be liber- 
ated when large enough. I decided to 
begin by filing an application for one 
setting of eggs, though the season was 
so far advanced that I hardly expected 
to have it filled. However, one Satur- 
day late in June a basket marked “Live 
Game Birds’ Eggs” came by express. 
Of course we all had to inspect them 
at once, and my two little girls were 
especially interested in the pretty little 
olive shaded, grayish brown eggs. With 
the eggs was an illustrated pamphlet 
giving simple, practical directions for 
the whole procedure of hatching and 
raising the birds. 
I immediately set to work on a nest- 
box and small enclosure, for the hen, 
and to be used by the chicks as well, 
for the first few days after hatching. 
When that was finished we started for 
the country to look for a hen. Most of 
the farmers had “broken up” their set- 
ting hens, not wishing chicks so late 
in the season, but we finally found one, 
a Rhode Island Red, which proved to 
be ideal, free from vermin, a wonder- 
fully faithful sitter, and a good mother. 
According to the pamphlet sent with 
the eggs the incubation period should 
last from twenty-one to twenty-three 
days, and as the twenty-third day ap- 
proached, the whole family became in- 
tensely interested. When the twenty- 
fourth day passed without results we 
became a little anxious, but cheered 
ourselves with the statements of Eng- 
lish authorities giving the period of in- 
cubation as varying from twenty-four 
to twenty-seven days, which proved 
more nearly correct in this case. On 
the evening of the twenty-fourth day 
my wife went out with me while I 
gently lifted the hen from her eggs, 
and at once I heard faint peepings. We 
both listened, delighted, and then my 
wife noticed further that about half the 
eggs were chipped. So we put the hen 
carefully back, and did not disturb her 
any more. The next noon we could see 
several little heads poking out from 
the hen’s feathers, and before night 
eight chicks had been counted, scram- 
bling around the nest. When the hen 
finally came off she had thirteen very 
lively little pheasants. 
Now began a program of boiling and 
chopping eggs, digging worms, and 
catching flies, beetles and grasshoppers. 
I soon had to build a larger run, for 
there are too many cats in our neigh- 
borhood to let the chicks run at large 
as they would on a farm. The en- 
closure was made from coarse poultry 
wire, seventy-two inches wide, arched 
over light iron rods, giving the appear- 
ance of a miniature flying-cage. I used 
a two-foot band of fine mesh wire at 
the bottom to keep the chicks in, but 
soon wished it had all been fine mesh, 
as the English sparrows congregated 
by dozens, and ate far more grain than 
the little pheasants. 
Several times one of the chicks got 
out in some unexplainable way. We 
found it useless to try to catch them in 
the grass and garden, but if left alone 
they always returned to the vicinity of 
the hen, and could then be cornered 
against the enclosure. They seem very 
hardy birds after the first few days. 
We lost two only, and when a couple 
of weeks old, neighbors rescued one in 
their yard so badly mauled by a dog or 
cat that it could not stand up, but an 
hour later I could not distinguish it 
from the others. They feather out in a 
remarkably short time, having distinct 
pin-feathers on the third day. 
When our family vacation time came 
we put the chicks, then three weeks old, 
in a box, and the hen in another, and 
transported them to the farm of a 
friend, who gladly agreed to let them 
run and throw them some grain in re- 
turn for the gift of the hen. Some 

in, ee 
ee 
weeks later we stopped in and found 
that with one exception the pheasants 
had wandered away and become wild, 
though occasionally they were seen in 
the cornfield. Curiously enough one 
had stayed with the chickens and was 
very tame, though well grown and able 
to look out for itself. 
We feel well satisfied with the ex- 
periment and are anxious to repeat it 
at the first opportunity. 
LEWIS H. GATES, 
Buffalo, 
Nig yee 
Camp Table and 
DEAR FOREST AND STREAM: 
y ANGE light wood may be used for the 
foundation, and the top covered 
with paper pressboard, or oilcloth. The 
table shown in the picture is 29”x23”x 
1”, and the table legs, two in number, 
are 26” long. 
Desk 
As they are screwed to the two sides 
of the table, one long screw on either 
side near the outer corners, they drop 
into position parallel with the sides of 
the top when the table is picked up to 
be carried or to be put away; and 
they fall automatically into position for 
support and the height and slope is ad- 
justed with the utmost ease, when it is 
to. be used for writing or other desk 
work. 
Soft tin boxes are tacked to the outer 
edge to hold paper clips, scissors, pins 
and pencils; and wire brads at regular 
distances in the top bar provide per- 
manent measuring facilities. 
It is inexpensive, easily made, and 
convenient; also, when hanging ag‘ainst 
the wall, it occupies very little space. 
F. L. Potter, 
Waukesha, Wis. 



Illustrating the camp table and desk, 
97 
