DUCKS 125 



topknot, or crest. The Muscovy Duck, which is of a different 

 species, has a bare face with a carunculated red skin. The 

 plumage of ducks is very soft and dense, forming a thick cover- 

 ing which, when the feathers are in a natural position, is im- 

 penetrable to water and so perfect a protection from wind and 

 cold that hardy ducks are quite indifferent to keen winds and 

 low temperatures, and, if left to themselves, rarely seek shelter 

 in winter. During a heavy snowfall they will get under cover 

 to escape being buried in the snow. At other times they seem 

 quite as comfortable on snow and ice as on the ground. One of 

 the most interesting sights of the poultry yard is to see a duck 

 sit down on the snow or ice when the temperature is below zero, 

 draw up its feet and work them into the feathers at the side of 

 its body until they are completely covered, tuck its bill into the 

 feathers of its back until only the nostrils and a little of the base 

 of the bill are exposed, and remain this way through the coldest 

 nights rather than go a few feet to a comfortable house with 

 warm bedding on the floor. Being better adapted to cold than 

 fowls, they are, as would be expected, much more susceptible 

 to heat and suffer greatly in hot summer weather if exposed to 

 the sun or kept where there is not a good circulation of air. 



The tails of ducks are short, spread laterally, and are usually 

 folded close and carried with the tip a little higher than the 

 base. The legs are very short, comparatively slender, and 

 weak. Most ducks walk awkwardly and fall down and flounder 

 about helplessly when they try to run. The legs of a duck are 

 so weak that it is not safe to catch or handle them by the 

 legs, as fowls are usually caught and handled. It is very easy to 

 break or dislocate the leg of a duck in this way. Hence, the usual 

 method is to catch and carry them by the neck, which is very 

 strong. Most persons who are not used to handling ducks are 

 afraid of choking them by grasping the neck firmly, but there is 

 very little danger of this. The feet of a duck are webbed be- 

 tween the forward toes, which makes them more serviceable as 



