on the flank is a white patch; the under part of the neck is white, as also, the cheeks; the bill is a dirty green. The colour of the female is a pale brown, tinged with red, shaded with markings of a darker brown. She resembles in colour the hen of the Black grouse. This is the bird which yields the celebrated Eider down. These birds are easily domesticated; and the Earl of Derby has several at Knowsley.

THE KING DUCK

Is more rarely to be seen in Britain than the preceding. The beak of the male is of an orange colour; white cheeks, tinged with green; top of head, greyish; shoulders, and upper part of back, white; under surfaces chiefly black, with a white patch on the flank. Robert Ball, Esq., secretary of the Dublin Zoological Society, and Director of the Dublin University Museum, has in his possession, a fine specimen of this bird, shot in Ireland, where it very rarely occurs.

THE MALLARD, OR TRUE WILD DUCK.

The undoubted origin of our domestic varieties, was formerly much more numerous in the British islands, than it is at present. Its scarcity is supposed to be owing to the progress of agricultural draining, which has deprived it of many of its accustomed haunts. It still breeds in many parts of Ireland, where it may be met with at all seasons. The full plumage of the male resembles that of many of our most esteemed domestic drakes; his bill is yellowish green; head, and upper part of neck, rich metallic green, below that a band of white; the back and hinder part of neck, chesnut brown, darkening towards the lower part of the back; rump, and upper tail coverts, blueish black; four middle tail coverts velvet black, and curled upwards; the rest an ashy grey, with white edges; breast, belly, and flanks grey, delicately pencilled in lines; legs and feet, orange yellow. The female has a greenish black beak, with a black nail: general colour brown, the feathers being edged with black. The male is about two feet long; the female somewhat less. At the close of the breeding season, the male loses his gay plumage, and assumes very nearly the garb of the female, only somewhat darker. A remarkable difference between the habits of this duck, and those of its domes

belly, greyish-white; tail feathers greyish-brown: legs and toes blueish-grey; and the membrane darker; about twenty inches in length. The female is somewhat darker in colour, and is as usual, less in size.

There are some other birds usually classed with the ducks, but as they are of no practical utility, and are never domesticated, I do not think I need enumerate them.

CHAPTER XII.

THE DOMESTIC DUCK.

The duck should always find a place in the poultry yard, provided only that it can have access to water; without water it is useless to endeavour to keep these fowl, but even a very small supply will suffice. I myself, have kept them with success, and fattened the ordinary duck in a few weeks, to the weight of eight pounds, with no further supply of water than what was afforded by a large tub sunk in the ground, as I have already described, when treating of poultry-yards. It must be remembered, that the flesh of these birds will be found to partake to a great extent, of the flavour of the food on which they have been fattened; and as they are naturally very foul feeders, care should be taken for a week or so before killing, to confine them to select food. Boiled potatoes are very good feeding, and are still better, if a little grain be mixed through them; Indian meal will be found both economical and nutritive, but should be used sparingly at first.

Some recommend butchers offal; but I may only warn my readers, that although ducks may be fattened on such food to an unusual weight, and thus will be profitable for the market, such feeding will render their flesh rank and gross, and not at all fit for table. In a garden, ducks will do good service, voraciously consuming slugs, frogs, and insects; nothing coming amiss to them; not being scratchers, they do not, like other poultry, commit such a degree of mischief in return, as to counterbalance their useful

ness.

The duck is very prolific. I recollect reading an account in an English newspaper, of a duck belonging to a Mr. Morrell, of Belper Dally, which laid an egg daily for eighty-five successive days

-this was in 1823-4. The egg of the duck is by some people very much relished, having a rich piquancy of flavour, which gives it a decided superiority over the egg of the common fowl; and these qualities render it much in request with the pastry cook, and confectioner—three duck eggs being equal in culinary value to six hen eggs. The duck does not lay during the day, but generally in the night; exceptions regulated by circumstances, will of course, occasionally occur. While laying, the duck requires more attention than the hen, until they are accustomed to resort to a regular nest for depositing their eggs-once, however, that this is effected, she will no longer require your attendance.

The duck is a bad hatcher, she is too fond of the water, and is consequently too apt to suffer her eggs to get cold; she will also, no matter what sort of weather it be, bring the ducklings to the water the moment they break the shell, a practice always injurious and frequently fatal; hence, the very common practice of setting ducks under hens. The eggs of the duck are thirty-one days in hatching; during incubation, they require no turning, or other attention; and when hatched, only require to be kept from water for a day or two; their first food may be boiled eggs, nettles, and a little barley; in a few days they demand no care, being perfectly able to shift for themselves; but ducks at any age are the most helpless of the inhabitants of the poultry yard, having no weapons with which to defend themselves from vermin, or birds of prey, and their awkward waddling gait precluding their seeking safety in flight; a good stout courageous cock, and a sharp little terrier dog, are the best protectors of your poultryyard. The old duck is not so brave in the defence of her brood as the hen, but she will, nevertheless, although Mr. Waterton thinks otherwise, occasionally display much spirit. I have witnessed this repeatedly, and I recollect a striking painting illustrative of my remark, by that eminent artist Charles Grey, representing a duck rushing furiously on a magpie, which had transfixed a duckling with its talons. Grey, like Landseer, never paints from imagination; he never depicts scenes that could not happen, and he is a close observer of nature.

THE AYLESBURY,

A large, handsome, white duck, is a very great favourite, and until the introduction of the variety called Rhone, or Roan, but

more properly Rouen, (as it takes its name from that town on the Seine,) was esteemed the most valuable of all; the latter bird, however, now fairly divides the honour with it, and is by some regarded as superior. The flesh of the Aylesbury duck is of a most delicate flavour, being by many compared to that of the chicken.

THE ROUEN DUCK.

The Rouen duck is now pretty common; it is of large size; if small is worthless; it is very prolific, and lays eggs of a large

aize.