266 



THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



(the Black East Indian), from the Cape or the 

 South American continent. Such an importa- 

 tion may be regarded as a link in the chain that 

 would connect our domesticated duck with an 

 Eastern origin, independent of its wild congener. 



"The squatters of the Mississippi," says Au- 

 dubon, "raise a considerable number of Mal- 

 lards which they catch when quite young, and 

 which, after the first year, are as tame as they 

 can wish. These birds raise broods which are 

 superior even to those of the old ones, for a 

 year or two, after which they become similar to 

 the ordinary ducks of the poultry-yard. The 

 hybrids produced between the Mallard and the 

 Musk duck are of great size, and afford excel- 

 lent eating. Some of these half breeds now 

 and then wander off, become quite wild, and 

 have by some persons been considered as form- 

 ing a distinct species. They also breed with 

 the black duck, when tamed." 



Dixon says, "This season [1849] I have 

 been particularly successful in rearing the Mal- 

 lard in a state of domestication. Three differ- 

 ent sets of eggs, from five to nine in number, 

 were brought in by our mowers, and the greater 

 part hatched under hens. The ducklings were 

 shy at coming out, but as soon as their first 

 feathers began to appear, they would eat from 

 my hand, and follow me eagerly about the 

 garden, if they saw me with a spade ; seeming 

 to understand that they were about to enjoy 

 their grand treat of worms. Out of many I 

 reared, there were only two females one of 

 which had a singular habit of attacking me 

 with great spirit and much quacking, if I at- 

 tempted the capture of either of her gentlemen 

 friends." 



Beautiful Mallard ! Well mayest thou be vain 

 of that beautiful plumage of those intense 

 hues which rival the rare glories of the break- 

 ing dawn, or the decaying twilight of autumn, 

 or the intermingled dyes which tinge the stripes 

 of the showery bow. But, alas ! the most ve- 

 nial vanity will be indulged no more, for the 

 red drop of death is trembling on that polished 

 beak, and thy heart's blood is oozing over thy 

 downy bosom. Thine affrighted mate has left 

 thee to breathe out thy last gasp on the billow ; 

 and on the wings of fear, is now hastening away 



with the rest of thy brethren to the distant coun- 

 try of thy destination. Many a time will she. 

 while swimming in some lagoon with her brood 

 (thy offspring), relate the cruel story of thy 

 death, and caution them to make a wide circuit, 

 whenever they shall chance to espy a small, sus- 

 picious-looking wherry, with a long gun and a 

 rough face peeping over its side, in the waters 

 of the bay. She will caution them to keep 

 farther out to sea along that piratical coast, and 

 thereby avoid that treacherous piccaroonish sort 

 of craft, which there lies in wait, between two 

 billows, ready to pounce upon and pop over the 

 unwary cruiser. 



THE BLACK EAST INDIAN, OR BUENOS AYREAN 

 DUCK. 



This variety is not usually met with, but de- 

 serves to be better known. It is called the 

 Buenos Ayres duck, but well known in En- 

 gland as the " East Indian duck," sometimes 

 called the " Labrador duck." 



" Why or wherefore this bird was called the 

 ' Labrador duck,' " remark the authors of the 

 " Poultry Book," " we are at a loss to imagine, 

 since that country, as has been well observed 

 by Mr. Dixon, 'however rich in wild speci- 

 mens, is not likely to have given us any tame 

 variety of bird.' The trivial or accidental 

 name of a bird has often, however, done good 

 service in exciting facts in connection with its 

 history; and we diligently consulted authors 

 as to any possible connection between Labrador 

 and the variety of duck of which we are now 

 speaking. Our search, we must confess, sup- 

 plied us with but one solitary hypothesis for 

 this designation, in the fact that velvet scoter, 

 annus fusca, abounds on the wild coast of La- 

 brador, and that a fancied resemblance between 

 the deep, glossy, black plumage of these two 

 birds may have suggested the name by which 

 it has hitherto been commonly known. As 

 such distinctions, however, only tend to perpet- 

 uate error, the sooner they are discarded the 

 better; and whether Buenos Ayres or the East 

 Indies is the original locality from which the 

 other synonyms have been obtained, either of 

 these is a far preferable distinctive appellation. 

 The Zoological Society, we are told, obtained 



