268 



THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



T1IE MUSK, OB URAZILIAN DUCK. 



" They are all of the same color, though I be- 

 lieve not necessarily so ; a very dark, rich, blue- 

 black prismatic, with every color of which blue 

 is a component, and a white bar is on the wing, 

 some white about the head and neck, and I 

 presume are to be found of all colors ; the feath- 

 ers on the back of the male are somewhat plume- 

 like ; the legs and feet dark," etc., etc. 



The Muscovy duck, it appears, is only found 

 in a wild state in South America. Marcgrave 

 has observed it in the Brazils ; it is also a na- 

 tive of Guiana. This species has, like the East 

 Indian duck, been erroneously called after the 

 name of a country which certainly never wit- 

 nessed its existence in a wild state. The ap- 

 pellation Muscovy, by which term European 

 Russia is often designated, is clearly erroneous- 

 ly applied to this bird, whose plumage is thought 

 to emit the odor of musk, whence the trivial 

 name. 



The narratives of early voyagers to the South 

 American continent, and the numerous groups 



of islands which stud the Pacific Ocean, afford 

 frequent allusions to these birds, which, how- 

 ever variously named in such records, have suffi- 

 ciently clear descriptions of their peculiar ap- 

 pearance and habits to enable us to recognize 

 them without difficulty. Brazil appears to have 

 been one of their principal habitats ; hence one 

 of the designations connected with this bird. 



The tropical regions, therefore, of South 

 America, are the native country of the Musk 

 duck, and the French naturalists assert that it 

 is a distinct species and not a variety. The 

 first point that strikes us in the Musk duck, is 

 the disproportionate size of the male and female, 

 the latter not exceeding five, or at the most six 

 pounds live weight, while the drake frequently 

 reaches nine or ten pounds. They are of vari- 

 ous colors ; but commonly black, variegated 

 with other colors. They are also clear white, 

 slate-blue, and light yellow. The white are 

 considered the prettiest, their feathers the most 

 valuable, and their flesh the most delicate. 



