THE TAME DUCK. 191 



THE WILD DUCK. 



As to its history, one thing, I think, may be demon- 

 strated, that is, that the date of its first appearance in 

 domestication on the European continent is not very 

 remote, however high may be its antiquity in India 

 and China. In pursuing this sort of inquiries, which 

 are daily becoming more interesting and more impor- 

 tant in their conclusions, one regrets that untranslated 

 works on natural history or farming, (if such there be,) 

 in the oriental languages, are sealed records to almost 

 every one who has the leisure to make use of their 

 contents. It is extremely probable that great light 

 might be thrown on the origin and history of our do- 

 mesticated animals by a careful inspection of such 

 works. As it is, we are left to obtain our evidence 

 from imperfect and more recent traces, with the ex- 

 ception of geology. 



If the swan and the pelican were forbidden to the 

 Israelites, and their carcasses to be held in abomination, 

 (see Leviticus, xi. 18,) the duck would probably be 

 included in the list of unclean birds ; or, rather, we 

 may, without violence, suppose that the Hebrew words 

 translated " swan" and "pelican," are used generi- 



