LETTER Lit. 

 THE DUCK, 



like the goose, may be viewed in two grand divisions/ 

 the tame and the wild kind; and each admits of a 

 number of varieties. The wild-duck, or mallard, dif- 

 fers in many respects from the tame, and exhibits a 

 still greater variety of species. These I shall not, 

 my dear Sir, trouble myself or you with describing, 

 nor shall I even burden your memory with enume- 

 rating the varieties which different countries afford; 

 for the multiplying of names will tend but little to 

 increase the sphere of your knowledge. The duck 

 in its domestic state is "universally known, and the 

 most obvious distinction between the wild-duck arid 

 the tame consists in the colour of their feet; those 

 of the former being yellow, and those of the latter 

 black. 



They all live nearly in the same manner, and wild 

 as well as tame all on the same kind of food. They 

 prefer corn, grass, and other vegetables where they 

 are plentiful ; but their appetites are far from being 

 delicate, and they will greedily devour frogs, toads, 

 lizards, or any other kind of reptiles or insects that 

 come in their way. 



As ducks possess the faculties both of swimming 

 and flying, they are well adapted for migration, and 

 the wild are in general birds of passage; and it is not 

 improbable that they perform their passage across 

 the ocean alternately in the water and in the air. 

 As soon as they arrive in this country they are seen 

 flying in flocks, and appearing to take a survey of the 

 lakes where they intend to make their winter's abode. 

 In the choice of these they have two objects in view, 

 freedom from disturbance, and the facility of procur- 

 ing food. 



Various methods of taking these birds have been 

 tried, but none used in this country has succeeded so 

 well as the decoy, in places where the situation is 

 favorable. This is principally where there is a pond 

 nearly surrounded by a wood, and beyond that a 

 marshy and uncultivated ground. When a proper 

 place is chosen, the pool is planted round with wil- 



