104 DUQS. [NO, 



mode of feeding them. The above mode was adopt- 

 ed by my servant, as far as I know, without any 

 knowledge of mine ; but the very agreeable result 

 made me look into the matter ; and my opinion, that 

 the information will be useful to many persons, at 

 any rate, is sufficient to induce me to communicate 

 it to my readers. 



DUCKS. 



169. No water, to swim in, is necessary to the old, 

 and is injurious to the very young. They never should 

 be suffered to swim (if water be near) till more than 

 a month old. The old duck will lay, in the year, if 

 well kept, ten dozen of eggs ; and that is her best em- 

 ployment ; for common hens are the best mothers. 

 It is not good to let young ducks out in the morning 

 to eat slugs and worms; for, though they like them, 

 these things kill them if they eat a great quantity. 

 Grass, corn, white cabbages, and lettuces, and espe- 

 cially buck- wheat, cut, when half ripe, and flung down 

 in the haulm. This makes fine ducks. Ducks will 

 feed on garbage and all sorts of filthy things ; but 

 their flesh is strong, and bad in proportion. They 

 are, in Long Island, fatted upon a coarse sort of crab, 

 called a horse-foot fish, prodigious quantities of which 

 are cast on the shores. The young ducks grow 

 very fast upon this, and very fat ; but wo unto him 

 that has to smell them when they come from the spit ; 

 and, as for eating them, a man must have a stomach 

 indeed to do that ! 



170. When young, they should be fed upon barley- 

 meal, or curds, and kept in a warm place in the night- 

 time, and not let out early in the morning. They 

 should, if possible, be kept from water to swim in. It 

 always does them harm ; and, if intended to be sold 

 to be killed young, they should never go near ponds, 

 ditches, or streams. When you come to fat ducks, 

 you must take care that they get at no filth whatever. 

 They will eat garbage of all sorts ; they will suck 

 down the most nauseous particles of all those sub- 



