INTERESTING THEORY

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 19, 22 July 1933, Page 5

INTERESTING THEORY

PHEASANTS AND VERMIN

ARE BIRDS INCREASING?

A Wellington sportsman who has shot over the Wellington acclimatisation district for a number of years states that he has seen more pheasants this season than for a very long time, including plenty of hens proportionately. Speaking to a "Post" representative, he said ho did not wish to imply that there were plenty to shoot; far from it, but the position was more hopeful than for some years. He was convinced that the breeding of pheasants was quite practicable, and gave as his rehson his own experience. He said he had raised eleven birds, which were hatched out about Christinas, and they had now been transferred to a friend's farm, where they wero still being fed. They were in exceptionally fine condition. Though given their liberty by leaving the door of their house open, they returned to be fed every day. Eventually, as there were other pheasants on the property which were wild, it was probable that tho newly-liberated birds would become wild also, though they would return from time to time and feed with the farmer's hens before permanently taking to the open. This experience has convinced "The Post's" informant that there should bo no difficulty in breeding pheasants in sufficient quantities to give shooting men an incentive to take out a licence. Birds released will, of course, bo diminished by shooting, but he thinks that the number of stoats, weasels, etc., has appreciably diminished with the almost total disappearance of rabbits in most parts of the district. He argues that if the food in tho shape of rabbits has disappeared, the vermin montioned must either move on or die out, as the number of catchable birds falling a prey to theni would not support the numbers seen in most localities a few years ago. _ If this contention is correct, ho points out, the stoats and weasels would practically disappear with tho extermination of rabbits, and all ground-nesting birds would have an opportunity of increasing beyond the damage done by other ■enemies, suc.h as man.

discussing the food- question in relation to weasels, he gave some interesting details of tit-bits enjoyed by his tamo pheasant?. His boys -collected wctas, which the birds ate avidly, the lucky ones strutting about with the legs of an extra large weta sticking out of their bills, rather than let the other birds have it, until they got an opportunity to dismember and swallow it in peace. The strangest morsel ho saw one of the pheasants cat was a mouse, full grown, which it first killed and broke up.