ZtX)L()CJlCAL SOCIETY HI LLKTIN 



Sonic (lucks require slicltcr duriui;- the 

 winter, although many species, even if ])ro- 

 vidcd with houses, never use thcni. An ex- 

 cellent i)lan is to plant a thick cluni]i '>\ 1h,x 



MAM5AK1N DUCK. 



in some portion of the range. The foliage 

 of this is too coarse for the ducks to destroy 

 it, and so dense that it forms an admirable 

 protection for nests and eggs. Being, in 

 addition, an evergreen, it makes a fine shel- 

 ter for the birds during severe winter storms. 

 A little straw ])laced underneath such a 

 clump of bushes will attract the ducks, which 

 enjoy burrowing into it during cold nights. 

 In winter all ducks and geese require that a 

 .small portion of their ])ond shall be kept free 

 from ice, in order that the ojien water may 

 kee]) their feet from freezing. 



Wild ducks must be clipped or jMnioneil to 

 keep them from Hying away. Instead of 

 friglitening the birds by catching them every 

 time they numlt, and cutting away the flight 

 feathers of one wing, it is much more hu- 

 mane to tightly ligature the wing with a 

 piece of strong fish-line, just below' the 

 thumb, which is that portion giving rise to 

 the tuft of feathers near the front bend of 

 the wing, and with a pair of stout scissors 

 cut oflf the bone immediately below the cord. 

 There is no blood, the duck suffers little jiain, 

 the wound heals inmiediately, and the bird 

 need never be troubled again. The feathers 

 around the place to be ligatured should be 

 tweaked out. and, if the cut be made straight 

 and clean, not a feather will scrow in dis- 



torted, and the overlapping of the other wing 

 will make the imperfection almost invisible. 

 it is better always to operate on the wing of 

 one chosen side, preferably the right. 



When ducks are pinioned, a \vire fence 

 three feet high is sufficient to confine them, 

 and enclosed thus they show to much greater 

 advantage than if seen through wire netting. 



It is a good plan to occasionally place some 

 shovelfuls of pond mud or earth in the ce- 

 ment ])ool, as ducks love to sift it through 

 their bills for insects and other food. 



For the majority of ducks, grain is a staple 

 diet, a mixture of wheat and cracked corn 

 being as good food as any, although buck- 

 wheat and barley may be added to give vari- 

 ety. Ducks will enjoy having the grain 

 sometimes thrown into the water, but they 

 do not ordinarily require soaked food. Green 

 food, however, they must have, either grass 

 or lettuce, or even cabbage, the best being, of 

 course, that piece dc resistance of a duck's 

 menu — duck-weed. Even the grain-eating 

 species like a little chopped fish or frogs now 

 and then. 



If not alarmed by dogs and other causes, 

 ducks will become remarkably tame, and 

 especially is this the case when they are 

 cared for and fed by the same person. 



grken-wix(;f,d te.-xl. 



Neither ducks nor their first cousins, the 

 geese, should be thought as in any way de- 

 serving the opprobrious lack of wit attributed 

 to the latter class of birds. They are quick- 



