396 THE DUCK. 



till October or November. Some weeks before the time 

 they wish them to lay, they feed them with stimulating 

 food; and when the eggs are ready, they are put under 

 a hen. who is obliged frequently to continue on the nest, 

 till three successive broods have been hatched. When 

 the young Ducks leave the shell, they are placed near a 

 fire, and nursed with great care. By these means many 

 Ducklings are sent at Christmas to London, where they 

 meet with ready purchasers. 



Of all people in the world, the Chinese are said to be 

 the most skilled in the management of poultry, particu- 

 larly of Ducks, many people at Canton earning their 

 livelihood merely by bringing them up; some buy the 

 eggs and trade with them, others hatch them in ovens, 

 and others attend on the young ones. The following is 

 their plan : They lay an iron plate on a brick hearth; 

 on this they place a box full of sand, half a foot high, 

 in which the eggs are put in rows; the box they cover 

 with a sieve, over which they hang a mat. To heat 

 them, they make use of a particular sort of wood, which 

 burns slowly and uniformly; at first, they give them but 

 little warmth, increasing it gradually, and it becomes a 

 strong heat by the time the eggs are hatched. If the 

 heat is increased too much, the young Ducks are hatched 

 too soon, and in that case they generally die in three or 

 four days. The hatched young ones are sold to those 

 who bring them up ; and these try, in the following 

 manner, whether they are hatched too soon or not. They 

 take up the little Ducks by the bill, and let their bodies 

 hang down: if they sprawl and extend their feet and 

 wings, they are hatched in due time; but if they have 

 had too much heat, they hang without struggling. The 

 latter often live till they are put to the water, which is 

 generally eight days after they are hatched, this turns 

 them giddy; they get cramped, throw themselves on their 

 back, and die in convulsions. They are carefully fed 

 with boiled rice, mixed up with herbs and little fish, 

 chopped small. When they are older, they are removed 



