DUCK 



1872 



DUCK 



ing Loras Hall), Saint Joseph's College, the 

 Visitation Convent, Wartburg Seminary 

 (Lutheran) and the Iowa Institute of Science 

 and Arts are among the schools for higher 

 education. Mount Carmel (for girls) occupies 

 a height overlooking the Mississippi, and with 

 its beautiful view and grounds is one of the 

 show places of the city. Benevolent institu- 

 tions include Mercy Hospital, Mercy Hospital 

 for the Insane, Finley Hospital and the Y. W. 

 C. A. Home. Dubuque is also the see of a 

 Roman Catholic archbishop, and one of the 

 two Trappist monasteries in the United States 

 is in the vicinity. Besides the Federal build- 

 ing, constructed of Bedford stone about 1866, 

 the city's notable buildings are the Carnegie- 

 Stout Public Library, which cost $100,000, a 

 $125,000 Elks' Home, completed in 1915, and 

 the Hotel Julien Dubuque, also completed in 

 1915. 



History. As early as 1788 Julien Dubuque, 

 a French-Canadian trapper and miner, voy- 

 aged down the Mississippi River and discov- 

 ered what became The Mines of Spain, under 

 his grant from the Spanish governor of Lou- 

 isiana. With several others he settled there 

 for the purpose of mining lead. Upon his 



death (1810) the Indians buried Dubuque on 

 a bluff overlooking the mines, and the legend 

 is that fires were kept burning over his grave 

 until they departed from the country after 

 the Black Hawk War (1832). A monument of 

 native stone erected by the Early Settlers' 

 Association marks the grave. The settlement 

 was abandoned after the death of Dubuque and 

 was not again occupied until 1833. This was 

 the first permanent settlement in Iowa. The 

 city was incorporated in 1844. 



DUCAT, duk'at, a coin first issued by Roger 

 II of Sicily, Duke of Apulia, in the eleventh 

 century, which later became common in all 

 countries of Southern Europe. It was issued 

 both in gold and silver and varied considerably 

 in value. The silver coin was worth at various 

 times the present equivalent of 75 cents to 

 $1.10, while the gold coin was valued at $1.46, 

 and sometimes as much as $2.32. The ducat 

 of the Venetians, referred to by Shakespeare in 

 The Merchant of Venice, had a standard value 

 of $1.46. So Antonio's debt of 3,000 ducats to 

 Shylock was close to $4,500, according to pres- 

 ent standards. Austria still retains the ducat, 

 valed at $2.285, but it is used more in foreign 

 than in domestic trade. 





UCK, a web-footed water bird fcund 

 both domesticated and wild throughout the 

 world. Wild ducks are economically valuable 

 as game birds, for the flesh of many species is 

 highly esteemed as food. For that reason they 

 are national assets, and as such are quite gen- 

 eraliy protected by laws. Even so, however, 

 the ranks of wild ducks are being depleted 

 yearly, and in some locations where myriads 

 once bred and fed but a few hundreds now are 

 seen. Only through careful conservation and 

 cooperation of human beings can these birds 

 keep their place in the scheme of the universe. 

 Wastefully decreasing their numbers not only 

 removes a valuable source of food and makes 

 them a luxury for even the wealthiest, but also 

 makes that interesting and healthful outdoor 

 sport, duck hunting, almost a thing of bygone 

 days. 

 General Characteristics. Ducks have broad, 



flat bills, tooth-edged, for holding or straining 

 food. Their heads are large; the necks are 

 rather long and slender, but much shorter than 

 the necks of geese or swans, to which they are 

 related. Their bodies are short and thick, 

 covered with close, compact feathers, under 

 which lies a thick, soft down. The feathers of 

 many species are beautifully colored; all spe- 

 cies keep their feathers well oiled from two 

 large glands just above the tail, and so they 

 are made waterproof. Ducks' legs are short, 

 and are placed so far back it is difficult for 

 them to walk ; because of this their movements 

 on land have been called a "waddle." Ducks 

 are fine swimmers and wonderful divers. Their 

 food consists chiefly of insects, snails, frogs and 

 fish, as well as grains, grasses and other vege- 

 table matter. 



Mother ducks lay from six to sixteen eggs, 

 in a warm nest made of leaves, hay and other 



