DUCKS. 629 



of Rouen, Normandy. Mr. &quot;W. H. Todd, of Vermillion, Ohio, says of them: &quot;One pair that 

 we exhibited at a show, weighed nineteen and three-fourths pounds; and at home, before the 

 shrinkage of the trip, twenty-one pounds, which was at that time the largest pair in the 

 world.&quot; Drakes of nine or ten weeks old have been known to weigh more than twelve 

 pounds per pair. They are the most quiet of ducks, and seldom wander, easy to raise, and 

 will do well with only an abundance of drinking water, although all water fowls attain their 

 best condition when permitted to have access to a small pond or stream of water. The 

 plumage is very beautiful, being changeable in color, with the elegant and decided markings 

 of the Mallard. 



The head is long, and in the drake of a lustrous green color; the bill is long and broad, 

 of a greenish-yellow hue, and wider at the end than the base. The neck is long, slender, and 

 colored the same as the head, with a distinct white ring on the lower part that does not quite 

 meet in the back. The upper part of the back is ashy gray blended with green, shading to a 

 deep lustrous green on the lower part and rump; the breast is broad and deep, the front of a 

 rich purplish-brown, or claret-color, which extends down the legs; body broad, long, and 

 deep, the under part of a handsome gray ending in solid black under the tail, which is of a 

 dark-brown color; tail coverts black, with metallic reflections. The wings are grayish-brown 

 in color, blended with green, with a broad band of a purplish tinge, which has beautiful reflec 

 tions of green and blue in the sunlight. This band is edged distinctly with white. The 

 plumage of the thighs is gray; legs and feet orange, with a slightly bluish tinge. 



The head of the duck is a deep brown, with two light-brown stripes on each side, running 

 from the beak behind the eyes. The plumage of the neck is light-brown, penciled with a 

 dark-brown, and entirely free from the white ring that characterizes the drake; the back is 

 light-brown, marked with green; the breast a dark-brown penciled with a lighter brown, the 

 body a grayish-brown, with each feather distinctly penciled with a very dark-brown ; wings 

 the same as the drake. They do not come to maturity quite as early as the Aylesburys, but 

 are prolific layers of rather thick-shelled, bluish -green eggs; they are also excellent foragers 

 The flesh is very delicate; the young ducks grow very rapidly, and are easily fattened for 

 market. Like many of the duck varieties, they are apt to have the disability of falling down 

 behind, or what might be called an abdominal protuberance. 



Pekin Ducks. This breed of ducks was imported into this country from China in 

 1873, and are quite an acquisition to our water fowls, being hardy, easily reared, an excellent 

 table fowl, and good layers, while their yield of feathers is nearly as great as that of an 

 ordinary goose. They are white or creamy-white in plumage, with a medium-sized deep 

 yellow bill, and legs of a reddish-orange color. They are large in size, although not eqaal to 

 the Rouens and Aylesburys in this respect, but owing to their heavy growth of loose and 

 fluffy feathers, they look much larger than their weight would indicate. &quot;While swimming, 

 no duck shows so much body above the water-line as Pekins, since their feathers stand out so 

 loosely from the body, while those of other ducks lie down compact and close; for this reason 

 their weight is apt to be overestimated. Their eggs hatch well, the ducklings raise easily 

 and mature rapidly, and are said to be larger at six weeks old than any other breed, which 

 makes them valuable for market at this age. They are excellent foragers, and can be easily 

 raised where there is only sufficient water for them to drink. 



Mr. Todd says: &quot;They need no more water to swim in than chickens; cannot fly or 

 climb fences more than a mud turtle, and are so easily restrained that they can be kept 

 within low fences, and almost anywhere.&quot; Mr. W. Clift, of Connecticut, who has raised them 

 for several years, says of them: &quot;This variety of water fowl is unquestionably the result of 

 thorough breeding for a long course of years for economical ends. Where the population is 

 so dense as in China, they are compelled to economize in the use of animal food, and much 



