79- 



Jounial oj Agriculture, Victoria. [ii Dec, 1911 



racy appearance. The head is 

 flat, the eye quite close to the 

 scalp, and the head very fine 

 and long ; on the scalp there 

 is a dark cap giving it a pie- 

 bald appearance. The bill is 

 thick at the base and long and 

 wedge-shaped ; it is yellow 

 when hatched, gradually be- 

 coming green; the drake's bill 

 is of a more yellowish tint 

 than that of the duck. The 

 neck is long, white, and de- 

 cidedly thin ; so also is the 

 body. The under part is white 

 up to 'he coloured breast; 

 whether fawn or grey, the 

 colour should be uniform. The 

 back reminds one very much of 

 the saddle-back pigeon with its 

 heart-shaped patch reaching to 

 the tail, the tail portion being 

 coloured. There is no appear- 

 ance of keel on the breast, and 

 the bodies are almost upright. 

 The legs are set well aft, the 

 same as those of the Pekin, 

 and are somewhat fine-boned 

 and orange red in colour. 

 There is a diversity of opinion 

 regarding plumage. Some claim 

 that fawn is correct ; while 

 others, grey. 



Indian Runners cannot be 

 classed as market ducks. They 

 are too small ; and, if over five 

 months old, lack the juicy 

 flavour that is found in the 

 Pekin-Aylesbury cross. It is 

 not uncommon to have them 

 laying at seventeen weeks. They 

 thrive best when given a fair 

 amount of room in which to 

 seek insect life. Especially 

 when in pens, they should be 

 provided with a fair quantity 

 of animal food. They are not 

 big eaters by any means ; but 

 what they do get should be 

 highly nitrogenous, failing 

 which the yield of eggs is much 

 diminished. 



Water, not necessarily run- 

 ning, is an indispensable item. 



