POULTRY KEEPING 605 



quiet in disposition, and of beautiful plumage. Their eggs are not 

 as large as those of the Pekin, and are diverse in color. 



Both the Rouen drake and duck, clothed in plumage attractive 

 and pleasing to the eye, are as much fanciers' fowls as any of the 

 varieties of chickens, yet they are of much value as market birds. 

 The only objection to them, aside from their slow maturing quali- 

 ties, is that of the dark pinfeathers. This should not stand against 

 them any more than it does against the many valuable varieties of 

 chickens that have dark plumage and dark pinfeathers. To the 

 farmer who intends raising ducks for market purposes they are to be 

 recommended. The standard weight of the adult drake is 9 pounds ; 

 adult duck, 8 pounds; young drake, 8 pounds, and young duck, 7 

 pounds. 



Black Cayuga Ducks. This is distinctly an American duck, 

 having been bred so long in this country that all trace of its origin is 

 lost. It is said that it was first found in the central part of New York, 

 on Cayuga Lake. It was sometimes called the Big Black duck, and 

 again the Lake duck, but is now known only as the Black Cayuga 

 duck. By some it is supposed to have originally come from the wild 

 Black duck, and another story has it that it was first found in Dutch- 

 ess County, in the State of New York, where a miller was raising a 

 flock of thirty, which he said were bred from a pair he had cap- 

 tured several years previous in a mill pond. They were kept in the 

 poultry yard, easily tamed, and built their nests on the edges of the 

 pond and raised large broods. For many years the Cayuga has been 

 raised in this country and has been considered by those who have 

 bred it to be a profitable duck to keep. 



Description. By some raisers the Cayuga is considered to be as 

 good as the Pekin for early markets, and the claim is made that it 

 can be grown as cheaply. This assertion is not verified by any prac- 

 tical demonstration, as these ducks are rarely, if ever, seen on any 

 farm where ducks are raised exclusively. Though raisers generally 

 speak of their merits as making them profitable, and place them next 

 to the Pekin for early markets, they prefer the latter for exclusive 

 duck raising where early maturity and plump carcasses are wanted. 

 Their black plumage is against them also, and many assign this as 

 the reason why they are not more extensively bred. The standard 

 weight of the adult drake is 8 pounds; adult duck, 7 pounds; young 

 drake, 7 pounds, and young duck, 6 pounds. 



Colored and White Muscovy Ducks. These form a distinct 

 genus, having several peculiarities or characteristics which make 

 them different from others. They are sometimes called the Mn.-k 

 duck, owing to the odor of musk which pervades the skin, but which 

 is not noticeable when cooked. These ducks are found wild in the 

 warmer regions of South America. 



Description. They are very unsatisfactory birds to keep on the 

 farm with other poultry, owing to their quarrelsome and pugnacious 

 natures. In the wild state, before pairing, the males fight desper- 

 ately, doing great harm to each other; and this fighting, quarrel- 

 some disposition is inherited by the domestic duck. The temper of 



