ROUEN DUCKS. 



273 



The bill of the duck should not be so long as in the 

 drake, and orange-brown as a ground colour, shading off at 

 the edges to yellow, and on the top a distinct splash or mark 

 of a dark colour approaching black, two-thirds down from 

 the top ; it should there be rounded off, and on no account 

 reach the sides. Any approach to slate-colour in the bills of 



Rouen Ducks. 



either sex is a fatal blemish for exhibition. The head is 

 dark brown, with two distinct light brown lines running 

 along each side of the face, and shading away to the upper 

 part of the neck. Breast a pale brown, delicately pencilled 

 with dark brown ; the back is exquisitely pencilled with 

 black upon a moderately dark brown ground. The shoulder 

 of the wing is also beautifully pencilled with black and grey ; 

 flight-feathers dark grey, any approach to white being 

 instant disqualification j and ribbon-mark as in the drake. 



