DUCKS, GEESE AND GUINEAS | 121 
startled, with serious results to the birds at the bot- 
tom of the pile. Some breeders keep a lantern 
burning in the house at night, as a partial Decision 
against this sort of thing. 
The one other kind of duck which the amateur is 
likely to keep is the Rouen, which is a particularly 
good table fowl, but not so popular as the Pekin be- 
cause of its dark-colored feathers and _ slower 
growth. Rouens are hardy, gentle and good layers. 
They are not so easily stampeded as the Pekins and 
may be kept in larger flocks. The amateur with a 
small farm will find a few of them an excellent in- 
vestment, for they will shift for themselves to a 
large extent, requiring but little care. 
When ducks of any breed are yarded, the ques- 
tion of sanitation becomes an important and some- 
times a vexing one. Too large a number should be 
avoided so that the birds may be shifted from one 
yard to another occasionally, the yard vacated being 
spaded or plowed and sowed to a thick-growing 
crop like rye. Shade must also be provided if there 
is no natural shelter, and may take the form of 
strips of burlap or old grain sacks fastened to a 
light frame. It should not be dense. 
Only amateurs living in the country should try 
