Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1867-03-28
.yapofeon's Pheasant Preserves.

~-A~~F"-0%- = f@tt*rt@s - 80 y %
The imperial pheasantry covers
eight hundred and forty-two acres of
the forest of Fontainbleau. 1t is man
aged by ten men-four keepers, two
pheasant men, two servants and two
egg-hunters. There are, besides, eight
night watchmen, who shoot hawks,
owls and other birds and beasts who
destroy game. At the season of the
year when the hen phcasants begin to
lay eggs, they are each of them en-
closed in circular wired coop. All
these coops are placed in field set
apart for this purpose. As fast as the
pheasants lay eggs, the latter are
taken and placed under hen chickens,
who hatch them, so the hen pheasants
continue TO lay eggs during The whole
season without interruption. June is
the month when most of these eggs
are hatched. As the pheasants are
hatched they are placed in basket,
wadded at the bottom and sides with
loose wool, where they cluster and
move and get on each other like craw
fish in fisherman's basket. As fast
as possible they are placed in long
white boxes, divided into two unequal
portions. The small portion is oceu-
pied by the hen chicken, and it is d.
yided from the larger portion by wide
bars which allow the pheasants TO go
and come at will, but keeps the brood
ing hen from their food, which is
placed at the further end of the box
This food is rare, and even in so great
forest as Fontainbleau it cannot be
obtained in sufficient quantities. 1t
is ants eggs Every morning before
daybreak the anthunters 20 in light
carts TO ant hills in the forest and
open them with a trowel. They take
all the eggs they find in them, and
sift them on their return home. Once
every fortnight the same ant-hill will
afford a supply Of eggs, but as each
egg hunter is expected to bring home
daily two hundred quarts of eggs, a
great many ant-hills are necessarily
visited every morning. This ant hunt
is extremely annoying The ants,
whose castle is invaded aud sacked,
sally forth in numbers and sting the
hunters, pouring into the puncture
iormic acid, (that acid moro corrosive
than vitIiol, and which the modern
chemists can make with sugar, which
irritates the epidermis in a painful
manner. The young pheasants require
in addition TO the four hundred quarts
of ants eggs brought by the egg-hunt-
ers, one hundred quarts of porridge,
which is made of hard-boiled eggs,
meal, and some other ingredients, all
chopped fine. The imperial pleas
antry at Fontainbleau annually pro-
duces 5000 pheasants, l 500 gray part
ridges, and 600 Chinese partridges,
California collins, silver and golden
pheasants. While the pheasants are
under the care of the brood-hen
they are subject to a dysentery, which
is fatal to a greatmany of them. No
specific for this disease has boen dis
covered. When the pheasants leave
the brood-hen, they arc placed under
coops in shady places TO gain strength;
here they remain for a fortnight, and
then they are let loose in the under
growth Of the preserve. This under
growth consists of young oaks planted
close together, and this causes them
to throw out great many thick -leaied
lateral branches, hich give the pleas
ants the shade and humidity they like.
They are now free, and if they are
wise, they fly off in the forest where
they are secure from gun, and take
the hardships with the security of
liberty. Few, perhaps none of them,
are so sagacious or so strong willed rs
to resist the pleasure of being fed
daily with regularity and abundance.
Every evening at four O'Clock mashed
boiled potatoes are distributed to them.
At the appointed hour the whole lawn
of the preserve is covered with silver,
golden, red, ordinary and Chinese
pheasants, partridgcs and collins, pre-
senting a most animated and interest.
ing spectacle But this feeding by
hand and this food domesticates the
bird and destroys his game flavor, and
makes shooting such wild fowls as
tame as barn-yard massacrc--Letter
from Paris.