Popular JBtcttonarg ol Immatctt $ature. 199 



ve over them when they approach the 

 >rink. Should the rat, the weasel, or other 

 atural enemy of the feathered tribe, attempt 

 ,o seize any of them, the hen instantly af- 

 brds them her best protection ; and, leading 

 icr supposititious brood to the house when 

 ired with paddling, there nourishes them 

 with all the instinctive ardour of maternal 

 regard. " The village school-boy," as Be- 

 wick says, " witnesses with delight the antic 

 movements of the shapeless little brood, 

 sometimes under the charge of a foster- 

 mother, who, with anxious fears, paddles by 

 he brink, and utters her unavailing cries, 

 chile the Ducklings, regardless of her warn- 

 ngs, and rejoicing in the element so well 

 adapted to their nature, are splashing over 

 each other beneath the pendent foliage ; or, 

 n eager pursuit, snap at their insect prey 

 m the surface, or plunge after them to the 

 bottom : some, meanwhile, are seen perpen- 

 dicularly suspended, with the tail only above 

 water, engaged in the general search after 

 food." 



There are many different varieties of the 

 Tame Duck : the most obvious distinction, 

 however, between the wild and tame species 

 Lies in the colour of their feet ; those of the 

 tame being black, and the wild yellow. As 



e before observed, the common species of 

 Tame Ducks derive their origin from the 

 Mallard, and may be traced to that fowl by 

 unerring characters. Tame Ducks are an 

 extremely advantageous kind of poultry ; 

 as they subsist on scattered corn, the refuse 

 of vegetable and animal substances, worms, 

 snails, and insects. They lay a great num- 

 ber of eggs annually ; require very little at- 

 tendance when sitting ; and, with respect to 

 Ducklings, they may be easily fattened in 

 the course of three or four weeks with any 

 kind of pulse or grain and water. 



MUSCOVY DUCK, or MUSK DUCK 

 (Cairina moschata.) This bird, which takes 

 its name from its musky smell, and not from 

 its being originally obtained from Russia, as 

 is supposed, is upwards of two feet in length. 

 In its wild state it is entirely of a black 

 colour, with glosses of blue and green, anc 

 white wing-coverts ; but when domesticated 

 it varies very considerably : its usual ap- 

 pearance, however, may be thus described. 

 The crown of the head is slightly tufted, and 

 black ; the cheeks and fore part of the neck 

 white, irregularly marked with black ; the 

 belly chiefly white, and the general colour 

 of the rest of the plumage deep brown, 

 darkest and glossed with green on the back, 

 rump, quills, and tail, the two outer feathers 

 of the latter, and the three first primaries 

 being white : the legs and feet are short, 

 thick, and red. They are more prolific and 

 sit oftener than other ducks ; and their eggs, 

 which are frequently tinged with green, are 

 larger and rounder than those of other spe- 

 cies. 



CANVAS-BACKED DUCK, or PO- 

 CHARD. (Aythya vallisneria.) The zoolo- 

 gist is indebted to the indefatigable Wilson for 

 the lirst account of this much esteemed spe- 

 cies. The Canvas-back is two feet long, and 

 three feet wide, and when in good order 



weighs three pounds, The beak is large, and 

 of a glos%y black ; the head and part of the 

 neck of a rich glossy reddish-chestnut hue, 

 endin" in a broad space of black that covers 

 he upper part of the breast : back, scapulars, 



(AYTHTA VALMSKER.A.) 



lower part of the breast, and belly, white, 

 faintly marked with an infinite number of 

 transverse wavy lines, or points : wing-co- 

 verts gray spotted : tail very short, and 

 pointed ; legs and feet very pale ash. The 

 female is smaller, and not FO brightly co- 

 loured as the male. These birds arrive in 

 the United States, from the north, about the 

 middle of October, and, principally, assemble 

 in the numerous rivers in the neighbourhood 

 of the Chesapeake bay. When they first 

 arrive they are very lean; but from the 

 abundance of their favourite food, they be- 

 come fat about November. From the great 

 demand for these ducks, and the high price 

 they fetch, various methods are employed to 

 decoy them. 



Besides the species we have described, 

 there are many, for which we can only find 

 room for very brief notices. The SCAUP 

 DUCK (Fuliffula Morifo), somewhat smaller 

 than the common duck. In North America, 

 a variety of this species is better known by 

 the name of the Blue-bill, and is common both 

 to the fresh-water rivers and sea-shores in 



SCAUP DUCK. (TOLIOULA MARIT.A : VAR.) 



winter, those which frequent the latter being 

 generally much the fattest, on account of 

 the greater abundance of food along the 

 coast. The GOLDEN-EYE (Clctngula glau- 

 cion), the bill of which is black, short, and 

 broad at the base ; the head is large, and 

 of a deep black hue, glossed with green ; and 

 at each angle of the mouth there is a large 

 white spot. The BLACK DUCK, or SCOTER 

 (Oidcmia mffra) ; a bird whose flavour is so 

 rank and fishy, as to be exempted, with a I 

 few others, from the interdict which forbids ; 

 Roman Catholics the use of animal food on j I 

 certain days, on the supposition of their being j j 



