WILD DUCKS 131 



this mash in dry form. I have watched the ducks and 

 noticed that all kinds, even the canvasbacks, at frequent 

 intervals go ashore and eat a Httle. 



Following is the forcing-mash used in spring by Neil 

 Clark: Cornmeal, bran, mixed feed (of bran and middlings), 

 cracked corn, wheat, Spratt's duck meal, and crissel. Adam 

 Scott, on the Schley preserve, uses simply ground alfalfa, 

 scalded and soaked, for extra forcing just before laying time. 



Problem of Wildfowl Breeding. In the case of the galli- 

 naceous species, the most difficult practical problems are in 

 rearing the young and avoiding epidemic diseases, rather 

 than of inducing them to breed. With waterfowl the oppo- 

 site is true. The young are not hard to raise, and, with 

 reasonable sanitary precautions, epidemics are unusual. 

 With most kinds, the one troublesome problem is to make 

 them produce fertile eggs. The mallard, however, is the 

 notable exception to this rule, for they breed almost as 

 readily as poultry. The degree of difficulty in this matter 

 varies with different species or groups, as will be described. 



Breeding Mallards. When reference is made to breeding 

 wild ducks, it commonly refers to mallards, as the great 

 majority of wild ducks raised are of this species, both in 

 America and abroad. This species, therefore, truly stands 

 in a class by itself. The mallard has been bred for genera- 

 tions, and has become thoroughly domesticated, some strains 

 having become mere barnyard fowl, unable to fly, fit only 

 for food and market purposes. There is plenty of stock, 

 however, which has all the traits, form, and activity of true 

 wild birds, and yet is easy to breed and control. But con- 

 stant care must be taken to introduce into a breeding-stock 

 fresh blood by changing drakes, or it will degenerate into 

 the clumsy barnyard type. 



Mallards captured wild are reluctant at first to breed, 



