DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS 11 



them. They have been domesticated in many places 

 and often breed in parks and zoological gardens, and 

 both the ducks and their eggs can be procured from 

 American game farmers. 



A mixed bag is attractive and desirable, and the game 

 preservers, no doubt, will successfully rear most, if not 

 all, of the fresh water ducks when game preserving be- 

 comes common. The English teal, which has been suc- 

 cessfully bred on preserves, and some of the other Eng- 

 lish ducks probably can be introduced to advantage and 

 made abundant on American game farms and preserves. 

 Many English game farmers have both the birds and 

 their eggs for sale in large numbers. 



The wild geese for the most part breed in the far 

 North, and it seems doubtful if many species could be 

 handled on the preserves in the United States. The 

 Canada, or common wild goose, has been domesticated 

 in many of the States, and undoubtedly it can be reared 

 in large numbers on many preserves and game farms 

 for sport and for profit. Mr. Whealton, of Chincoteague 

 Island, Virginia, is a very successful breeder of Canada 

 geese and can supply birds and eggs in large numbers. 



The swans are very ornamental birds and often are 

 seen in parks and zoological gardens, but it seems doubt- 

 ful if they ever will be bred for sport on the preserves. 



My own experiments with wild ducks were confined 

 to the mallards and dusky ducks, but I have seen several 

 other species breeding on game farms and preserves in 

 America. The methods of making the breeding grounds 

 safe and attractive and of controlling the natural ene- 

 mies of the wild ducks, which are described in the fol- 

 lowing pages, are applicable to all species of ducks which 



