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CHAPTER XVII. 



Duck Tribe Management of Chinese Mode. Wild-Ducks 

 building in Trees Affection of. Eider Ducks How Caught. 

 Duck Shooters. Danger attending Decoys. 



IT would lead us far beyond our limits to notice all 

 the Duck tribes, which are third on the generic list 

 of this division ; a few particulars must suffice. Much 

 that has been said upon the treatment of Geese applies 

 equally to Ducks, which, under judicious management 

 might be made a source of great profit to the cottager ; 

 and we are assured, on the authority of a practical rural 

 economist, that water is by no means indispensable ; so 

 far from it indeed, that instead of being absolutely 

 necessary, it is often injurious to the young, and that, 

 in fact, they should never be suffered to swim till more 

 than a month old; that, instead of allowing young Ducks 

 to go out in the morning to eat slugs and worms, they 

 should be kept up, since this food, notwithstanding their 

 partiality for it, is injurious; and that grass, corn, white 

 cabbages, and lettuces, cut when half ripe, and flung 

 down in the haulm or stalk, will make the finest Ducks 

 for the market and the table. When young, they should 

 be fed upon barley-meal, or curds, and kept in a warm 

 place in the night-time. 



By attention and care, much more, we are persuaded, 

 may be done in the general management, as well as 

 improvement, of our domestic birds. We have been 

 assured, for example, that the people in some parts of 

 Buckinghamshire derive considerable profit from their 

 peculiar skill in breeding and rearing Ducks. They 

 contrive to reverse the order of nature, and by a restric- 

 tion of food, or other means, prevent them from laying 



