ii6 PROPAGATION OF WILD BIRDS 



they are hardy, and seldom have epidemics comparable to 

 those of the gallinaceous birds, though similar disasters may 

 occur if the water is allowed to become foul and stagnant, 

 and reasonable sanitation is not observed. The young also 

 are comparatively easy to rear. In suitable surroundings, 

 particularly on large estates, wild ducks can be maintained 

 in the natural wild state, free to come or go, and yet be 

 induced to remain and partake of their 'master's bounty. 

 By certain methods the flying wedge of certain varieties of 

 wildfowl may be made to descend to feed at the owner's feet, 

 and later will pair off and lay eggs in their downy nests in 

 the grass by his pond, or in the boxes, as in the case of wood 

 ducks, which he may put up for their convenience. 



Any one who has even the facilities of a city backyard, 

 with a cement basin and a little shrubbery could have a few 

 pairs of pinioned wild ducks which would breed in happy 

 contentment. F. N. Manross, of Forestville, Connecticut, 

 has a little artificial basin under the windows of his factory, 

 surrounded by some thick low shrubbery and a wire fence. 

 There a pair of beautiful wood ducks, regardless of noise or 

 human presence, each year raise a brood of young, and fur- 

 nish their owner delightful distraction from business cares. 

 A steam pipe keeps the water partly open in winter, and there 

 they live the year round, with no shelter other than shrub- 

 bery and a small box. In another part of the same yard he 

 has a couple of pairs of Canada geese, originally wild, which 

 live there in perfect contentment. 



Types of Wild Ducks. At the outset, for the sake of 

 clearness, it will be well to state that there are two main and 

 distinct classes of ducks, which have strong diversities and 

 require somewhat different methods of treatment. The 

 A. O. U. Check List gives them as River Ducks and Sea 

 Ducks, though the latter are not confined to the sea nor the 



