272 



THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



a deep pink. From the middle of June to the 

 middle of September the drake assumes the 

 color of the duck, which is a dull olive-brown, 

 lie is very pugnacious, and quite a tyrant over 

 the other aquatic birds. 



A pair of these beautiful birds were imported 

 by Mr. John Giles, of Woodstock, Connecticut, 

 in 1854. They were sold at auction, at'Bar- 

 num's Museum, in December of the same year, 

 for $150. They are said to have cost in En- 

 gland 75 guineas (about $375). 



THE ROUEN DUCK. 



This bird derives its name from the city of 

 Rouen, on the River Seine, in France, and is 

 esteemed highly by epicures. It is a prolific 

 bird, and lays large eggs. Its size is the cri- 

 terion of its value. 



"My notion," says Dixon, "that the title 

 Rouen and its aliases is only a trade name, in- 

 tended to elevate the common sort into a choice 

 and more remarkable variety, is confirmed by 

 the omission of such a designation by Aldro- 

 vandus, and later by Buffon ; both writers who 

 swept every thing into their net." 



The variety at present most in request is the 

 dark-colored Rouen, originally from France, but 

 common in England and this country. 



The authors of the " Poultry Book" speak of 

 the Rouen duck thus : " We have given prece- 

 dence to the Rouen, because we believe that, 

 under ordinary circumstances, it will be found 

 the most profitable variety. Its plumage, more- 

 over, is of great richness. The latter, we will 

 at once admit, is a point of minor consideration 

 in a bird whose merits must be mainly weighed 

 by its value as an economical inhabitant in the 

 poultry -yard; but where both these recom- 

 mendations can be combined, there are few 

 persons who would not be desirous of so unit- 

 ing them." 



"I am confident," says Mr. Hewitt, whose 

 Rouen ducks have been placed at the head of 

 their class at the exhibitions for several con- 

 secutive years in England, " that, when obtained 

 purely bred, the Rouen is the most prolific, the 

 most profit-producing of the duck tribe. They 

 are the most lethargic, and consequently the 

 most speedily fed of any ; but they lay great 



numbers of large eggs, an average of the weight 

 of which would be 3 ounces always above 

 three ounces. The color of the egg is a blue- 

 green, the shell being considerably thicker than 

 that of the Aylesbury breed. The flesh is of the 

 highest possible flavor; and in first-rate speci- 

 mens the supply is most profuse ; for the drake 

 and three ducks belonging to the writer, and 

 which were so successful for several consecutive 

 years at the Midland Poultry-show, when there 

 weighed by the judges reached 26i pounds; and 

 this, too, when they were simply taken from the 

 pond without any previous preparation. On 

 another occasion, when purposely fattened, they 

 attained the almost incredible weight of 34 

 pounds. I have frequently known the young 

 drakes, of only nine or ten weeks old, to weigh, 

 when killed, 12 pounds the pair, and in some 

 instances more than this. As regards their con- 

 sumption of food, I have not found them to re- 

 quire more than the birds of smaller varieties. 

 In color, whether we consider the plumage of 

 either sex, the Rouen closely assimilates to the 

 wild duck. The eyes, however, are very deeply 

 sunk in the head; and the ducks especially, 

 even when young, have the appearance, of old 

 birds ; the abdominal pouch, or apron, being 

 developed, as in the case of the Toulouse goose, 

 at a very early age. This enlargement of the 

 lower part of the body in some specimens causes 

 it to rest partially on the ground not unfre- 

 quently, indeed, to the destruction of the feath- 

 ers. The whole appearance of the Rouen bird 

 is certainly ungainly ; but the most inconsider- 

 ate observer can hardly fail of being struck with 

 the size of really good specimens of this family. 

 Their dull, loud, monotonous call is also dis- 

 tinct from any other variety. A great diminu- 

 tion in size is the invariable result of any at- 

 tempt at crossing, and this becomes apparent in 

 the first generation. They are as hardy as any 

 other kind, and rarely evince any disposition to 

 wander from the immediate vicinity of the 

 homestead. So dull and lethargic, in fact, are 

 they, that they are little liable to become the 

 easy prey of any pilfering stroller; or even if 

 one bird is picked up, the others will scarcely 

 move away. They appear to care less for wa- 

 ter exercise than the other varieties." 



