24 



common and incapable of flight, a tufted variety is also 

 known. 



A great many of the remarks on the goose apply equally to 

 the duck. Out of the numerous wild species of these birds, the 

 common duck is the only one that is not always migratory, 

 many are permanent residents ; even in the southern counties 

 there are few pieces of water of any extent that the mallard 

 does not breed on, several breed in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, 

 and numbers in parts of the New Forest, although there are 

 no large pieces of water there, but only small streams and 

 marshy spots. If the eggs of the wild birds are hatched 

 out in captivity, the offspring become at once domestic, all 

 other species of our indigenous ducks must be pinioned, or 

 they will certainly be lost. Some of the wild species, I have 

 never known to breed in confinement, others, as the pintail, 

 pochard and tufted duck, do sometimes breed when placed 

 on fair sized pieces of water, and become tame, but their 

 natural conditions of existence must be at least imitated, 

 and I doubt whether a semi-domestic breed could be 

 permanently established. 



Still, I regard the ducks as a group that lends itself to 

 a semi-domesticated condition more readily than most 

 families of birds, and that perhaps their migratory habits 

 have been the principal bar to their domestication of more 

 species. 



The Musk Duck is a South American species that 

 certainly is now quite as much a domestic bird as the common 

 duck ; although allowed the free use of its wings, it remains 

 attached to the homestead, and, unlike the common duck, 

 it often may be seen sitting on the top of the farm house 

 or buildings. 



I have pointed out that unimpaired fertility in confine- 

 ment is one of the necessary conditions of domesticity, the 

 Musk Duck is very prolific, and although it belongs to a totally 

 different genus to the common duck, it crosses freely with 

 that species, and the hybrids are fertile. The musk duck 

 is a native of South America. 



