Witp Duck. NATATORES. ANAS. 307 
which more than two-thirds were of the present species. 
Witsoy, in his North American Ornithology, has described. 
several other modes of taking these birds that are in use in 
that country, and mentions also that singular and ingenious 
method adopted in India and China, where the sportsman, 
covering his head with a calabash or wooden vessel, wades 
into the water, and, keeping only his head thus masked above 
it, advances towards and mixes with the flock, who feel no 
alarm at what they look upon to be a mere floating calabash. 
He is thus enabled to select his victims, whom he seizes by 
the legs, and pulling them under water, fastens them to a girdle 
with which he is equipped, thus carrying off as many as he 
can stow away, without exciting distrust and alarm amongst 
the survivors. The Wild Duck is widely distributed through 
most of the temperate and arctic regions of the globe; in 
the former of which it is only a winter visitant, as the great 
body of these birds retire even beyond our parallel of lati- 
tude for the purposes of reproduction. In all the coun- 
tries where it has been met with, its qualities for domestica- 
tion seem to have been recognised and turned to advantage ; 
and, though from long continuance of the breed in a state of 
confinement, great variety in colour, size, &c. has been pro- 
duced, the male bird constantly retains the peculiar specific 
distinction of the curled feathers of the tail. In China and 
other eastern countries, great numbers of ducks are hatched 
by artificial means, by the eggs being placed in tiers in 
boxes filled with sand, and subjected to the necessary de- 
gree of heat, upon a floor of bricks. The ducklings are 
fed at first with a mess composed of boiled craw-fish, or 
crabs, cut in small pieces, and mixed with rice. In about a 
fortnight they are able to shift for themselves, when they 
are placed under the guidance of an old stepmother, who 
leads them at stated times to feed, to and from the sampane 
(or boat) in which they are kept, and which is moved about 
by the owner to places likely to afford a plentiful supply of 
food. Ina natural state, Wild Ducks always pair, though 
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