Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-08-11

ing keeps the breed we'll crossed l'
But the pheasant hen is not a good
mother. Foster mothers must be provided.
Domestic setting hens are therefore
bought up from the peasantry roundabout
i'll scores at from eighteen pence to two
shillinEs each. The hatchery, always ex-
cellently walled and protected from YER
min often still more extensively than the |
aviaries where the nesting is going on, CON
sists of long series of arched compart,
ments, with sliding doors which descend |
and close the hen i'll tightly, leaving several |
apertures for light and air. The hen is re- |
moved from the nest daily, fed and |
watered, often given run in the wet grass, |
or her breast feathers otherwise dalnpened,
to insure greater heat TO the eggs, and care.
fully put back on her own nest, great care |
being taken that it is not fOuled, or the
eggs misplaced, and that all vermin be
eradicated. At the end Of three weeks the
pheasant chicks have Matched. The hen
is now placed in conical, handmade
rush or willow coop, with free ingress and
egress for the brood, which is closed in at
night and let ont at 4 O'Clock every morn
ing. The are fed hard. boiled chopped eggs,
mixed with oat and corn-meal, a sort of
food the chief material of which is boiled
and dried horse-t1esh and ground biscuit
and oyster-shels, Several men are now
required for their care; and for three
months the entire collection of coops is
changed daily like camp to new ground,
and each day trifle nearer the coverts or
| forest. The food is gradually changed to
oats and cracked raw corn; the moment
| the young birds show signs of skulkinS7l
| they are removed from the domestic hen
| mothers and coops to the avairles and in
| July they are set at liberty within the
grounds and forest of the demesne
However great may be the care in the
| breeding o. pheasants, not over nne-half
|
| Then the preserves are ready for depletion
| by pOachirg in its various forms. Not
only do the birds suffer in diminntun
| from the professional poacher, but
| milOrd's pheasants prove an irresistible
| temptation To every tenant and cotter liv-
ing round about the demenses as well as
1 to many whose interests should make
them their protectors; while on many es.
| tateS much at the poaChlng attributed 10
| genuine poachers is done by the employees
| themselves
On great estates from 20 to 80 men are
regularly employed. There are the agent
! and his clerks. The bailiti, who looks
after tine home farm and cattle has his
| helpers There are the head forester aud
| perhaps u dozen under furrSters all nl
whose bird and wood craft are quite equal
to those of the gamekeeper and his several
underkeepcrS There are Il master sawyer
| and three or four men engaged in eating
pairing gates, walls and fences. The head
gardener has several assistants. There are
painters, GLACIERS, carpenters SC. all Of
whom are familiar with the castle and the
surrounding grounds And On some
dcmesnes you Will find a half dozen lodge
keepers and their families. All of these
poorly paid folk love a pheasant after II
has come from the oven, rot or grill as
well rs do tie aiiStorraCy and they all
know how tO get thrm without h1thcring
the village marketman
Professional poarhing is far less dan
gcrous pursuit than it is usually Cnnsid
cred. During tine shooting season all sorts
of village hnngers.on are pressed into ser
vice as "beattrS. and to carry and fill the
game bags. II Is an easy thing during the
excitement 10 hide n generous portion of
the Samr at convenient points from which
it is taken under cover of night. Clamur
and fright also break up the rucks or
coveys INTO detached files Of nheaSantS
| which retreat AS high as possible among
! the branches of larch and fir, when the
: pnaChcrs can easily take them from their
| rOusts at night by hand. Other methods
are smudgng or smoking them into half
insensihility and knocking them from
their perChcS with clubs corn kernels intn
g which short bristes are inserted are
l. grecdily drvuured and the birds run chok-
: ing ia the hedges To be easily taken hy
s hand while an ingenious and successful
I device is to tit a ganircnek with artificial
; spurs, and stealthily place him alongside a
c covert when the pugnacinuS pheasant
: Goes instantly responds u The gamecock s
e growing challenge, when thrCessor four
Q brace OF the valuable birds are easily
u taken.
Il Pheasant shooting usually begins the
i latter part of October and closes with the
/ final Christmas "battuc.
t Notwithstanding high walls, gentleness
5 of keepers and all possible preventNes
{ many phcaSnits leave the lipmesnes seek,
z inp the outer hedges and bog grasses,
i where they fall prey To the snarcs OF
tenants and guns al the poaChcrs There
d fore a few days before MISUNDERSTANDING
y begins, all the outside help at the castle
4 starts III 4 circle miles from the demesnC
il and concentrating toward the same. shout
e and beat with a terrific hullabuloo
ii thus driving many back within the pre-
e serves, Then MILFORD and his friend,
W dressed rs Tor htipe-shuJting on the moor
ic and provided each with two doubled-bar
n rcieu urGt.uI loading, centre lire fowling
&c pieces Of No. II bore man for reload
4 Ing and another for carrying cartridges
II begin the slaughter, The spnrl>men ar,
K stationed in advance at the edges of Opel
places The Eamekg"per vino is sort o.
'd master Ot ceremonies, brings his assistants
s. or 'beatCrs' INTO line behind. fhcn thel
u move forward, perhaps 10 yards unart, TN
I" keeper, VII" knows every bush hedge
20 C0l,se or rec, directing the "hruters' il
If every movement, In an instant the pre-
rN serve is 4 perfect bcdiam OF yells and cx
u p!usuns Hllc men yell, " III viii" Il
ii they beat the bust calling as tn
til startled birds fash from cupsc to Copse
lg "Luck 10 the night m'-"Co5k above ~.
or ".rO the Icft curk "Hi.yi-i-f, cock
IS cock, cock Right ahead, cock "'whj!
ry the death dealing guns answer with sue
IT fnddity that they often set TO warm To- h
he hrll ID the sp0rSmen hanGs. This zoe
NJ un all day with an hour fur lunch /
at stew and beer At twu when the heaters
mt arc furnished 4 liberal amount Of brcn,
cheese and beer and their assistants VIII
ot follow The hunters "ithcarls and domkGy
y. hv night have oitcn gathered up from N
by to 1000 slaughtered birds These ~
&c shipped direct to London To dealers wll
Is. provide hampers and tags, aud pay for III
~. birds from -four tp siN .hllmGs per brac
he EpnAE l.. WAkENkN.