AQUATIC FOWLS. 



281 



ducks ; we once had a very fine duck killed by 

 a mink, which found its way from a neighbor- 

 ing stream to our poultry-yard. It was killed 

 by a wound in the throat, no other part having 

 been touched. Cats will sometimes catch young 

 ducks as well as young chickens. Of all dread- 

 ed animals the rat is the most formidable. We 

 have suffered more from their depredations than 

 all the other animals put together, and they are 

 the most difficult to be got rid of. To avoid 

 them, the ducks, as well as young chickens, 

 should not be cooped too near any buildings. 

 The rat will also attack chickens even when 

 feathered. We were once standing near a 

 small patch of beans in the garden, when we 

 noticed considerable fluttering and noise among 

 a brood of chickens in search of worms and in- 

 sects, when all at once one of the chickens 

 emerged from among the patch of beans near 

 to where we stood, followed by a large rat, in 

 eager pursuit, which, on observing us, he aban- 

 doned. The best way to master that sort of 

 animal is to keep one or two good terrier dogs. 

 To show that even in their congenial ele- 

 ment, when skimming the surface of the water, 

 under the watchful care of their mother, they 

 are not free from danger, the following story is 

 told by Waterton : " In 1815," says he, " I fully 

 satisfied myself of the inordinate partiality of 

 the carrion-crow for the young aquatic poultry. 

 The duck had in her possession a brood of ten 

 ducklings, which had been hatched about a fort- 

 night. Unobserved by any body, I put the old 

 duck and her young ones into a pond, nearly 

 three hundred yards from a high fir-tree, in 

 which a carrion-crow had built her nest} it con- 

 tained five young ones, almost fledged. I took 

 my station on the bridge, about one hundred 

 yards from the tree. Nine times the parent 

 crow flew to the pond, and brought back a 

 duckling each time to its young. When a 

 young brood is attacked by an enemy, the old 

 duck has nothing to defend it. I saved a tenth 

 victim by timely interference. In lieu of put- 

 ting herself between it and danger, as the fowl 

 would do, she opens her mouth and shoots 

 obliquely through the water, beating it with her 

 wings. During these useless movements the 

 invader seizes its prey with impunity." 



A duck seldom troubles herself much about 

 the abstraction of her young, and the latter are 

 equally content to forego maternal superintend- 

 ence. Many hazards, too, are thus avoided; 

 and the supervision of the attendant, both as 

 regards food and management, is performed in 

 one quarter of the time it would occupy in look- 

 ing after the different straggling families. 



"The courage of the hen is eminently shown 

 in her determined resistance to any foe that may 

 attack the nest or her young ; the duck, on the 

 other hand, though she vigorously repels an 

 intruder while sitting, takes little trouble to pro- 

 tect her .ducklings. Mr. Roscoe mentioned to us 

 an instance of this indifference to the safety of 

 her brood in a duck that had hatched close to 

 his lodge in Knowlsley Park. Several of the 

 ducklings had disappeared without the depre- 

 dators being discovered, when he determined to 

 watch and ascertain their fate. As evening 

 drew on, a large rat was seen approaching ; and 

 with a view of seeing what defense might be 

 made by the old bird, it was allowed to come 

 close up to her. A duckling was then taken by 

 it from beneath the mother, without her even 

 moving or showing any sign of anxiety. Wish- 

 ing to observe whether she would be more on 

 her guard or equally passive on a second occa- 

 sion, the rat was allowed to retire unmolested ; 

 and after a few minutes the same, or another 

 animal of the same kind, again approached as 

 before, evidently intent upon obtaining an ad- 

 ditional victim. Still the duck remained with- 

 out any expression of alarm; but his object 

 being now gained, Mr. Roscoe's gun soon num- 

 bered the aggressor among the slain." 



COMPARATIVE COST AND PRODUCE OP DUCKS. 



Any calculation as to the return to be ex- 

 pected by those who keep ducks, turns entirely 

 on the possession of a suitable locality. They 

 are most likely to be kept with profit when ac- 

 cess is allowed them to an adjoining marsh or 

 water-meadows, where they are able in a great 

 measure to provide for themselves ; for if wholly 

 dependent on the breeder for their living, they 

 have such ravenous, insatiable appetites, that 

 they would soon, to use an emphatic phrase, 

 " eat their heads off." No description of poul- 



