156 PROPAGATION OF WILD BIRDS 



eggs spoil. These experiments I tried out under government 

 cooperation, and I give these results that the public may 

 not waste wild life, to say nothing of their time and money. 

 Game farms, however, with conditions favourable, are able 

 to make quick shipments of fresh eggs to considerable dis- 

 tances with quite good results. 



Modes of Incubation. There is, fortunately, much more 

 latitude with incubation and rearing in case of waterfowl 

 than with the gallinaceous birds. In this case incubator 

 methods are quite feasible. The first choice, however, is 

 to hatch and rear with bantams or small hens, and these are 

 usually considered preferable even to tame ducks, though 

 the latter are sometimes used. The duck, however, in order 

 to keep clean, needs frequent bathing, which is dangerous 

 for ducklings of delicate species, especially in cold or wet 

 weather. The hen, too, is less likely to kill ducklings of 

 other broods that may happen to come to her. 



Any ordinary hen of medium weight that is docile will 

 answer the purpose. Wild or very heavy hens are liable to 

 crush these fragile eggs. Bantams are rather better for 

 eggs of wood duck, mandarin, shoveller, teal, or other small 

 species. For an ordinary hen twelve eggs of the larger 

 species makes a good setting, or eight for a bantam, but the 

 number used will vary with the size of the eggs and the hens. 

 The main thing is never to give a hen more eggs than she can 

 easily cover. Efforts to cover too many are apt to result in 

 breakage, as well as failure to hatch. 



Moisture. The eggs of waterfowl require so much mois- 

 ture that it is best to set them on the ground. Outdoor 

 hatching coops such as have been described may be used. 

 In the wild state the duck moistens her eggs when she re- 

 turns from the water. As the hen does not get wet, it is 

 well to sprinkle the eggs with warm water toward the end of 



