THE TAME DUCK. 203 



DUCK POND AND HOUSES. 



The internal arrangement of these houses may vary, 

 according to the means and taste of the proprietor, only 

 providing the ducks with nests or nest boxes, in order 

 that they may lay and incubate undisturbed, and 

 affording proper protection for the young. 



PAIRING AND LAYING. 



ONE drake, according to M. Parmentier, is sufficient 

 for eight or ten ducks, while Columella limits the 

 number of ducks to six ; and others to four or five. 

 They begin to lay towards the end of February, and 

 sometimes earlier, but so far from producing the lim- 

 ited number of about sixteen eggs, some will lay as 

 many as fifty, and even nearly double that number. 

 They do not, usually continue to lay, however, later 

 than May or June, unless they are very well fed the 

 great secret for rendering them prolific, provided they 

 do not become too fat. 



At the laying season, ducks require to be closely 

 looked after, inasmuch as they are not so easily brought 

 to lay in the nests prepared for them as common fowls ; 

 but will stray away to hedges and other by-places to 

 lay, and will even sometimes drop their eggs in the 

 water. When they succeed in laying oat their num- 



