536 The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 



have already described. Later on, when the young are partly grown, the male rejoins his family, 

 and several often unite to form one flock. They then remain together till the autumn, when the 

 whole colony fly in consort to their warmer winter quarters. During this migration they generally 

 fly in long lines in the shape of the letter V, the "dressing" being nearly as accurate as in a 

 regiment of soldiers ; but the formation is frequently broken up, when the birds get into a confused 

 mass. It will be seen that this mode of flying is more or less common to all the water-fowl. 



The duck sits for twenty-eight days, except some of the smaller varieties, which hatch in less. 

 She usually sits with the greatest steadiness, and on leaving the nest always covers her eggs very 

 carefully with leaves or other substances. Whether this is done for concealment or to protect them 

 from the cold is somewhat uncertain. 



Wild Ducks have often been domesticated. The usual mode is to obtain eggs and hatch them 

 under tame ducks or hens, when they are brought up with no difficulty, though of course there is 

 some wildness of disposition. It is also generally found that, down to even the third or fourth 

 generation, such domesticated wild drakes pair strictly like their ancestors, instead of taking a 

 small harem like the domestic variety. When thus domesticated, the progeny after a while almost 

 always begins to vary in colour. 



With this brief description of the parent race, we may proceed to treat of the varieties known 

 to the farmer or the fancier. These two words, in fact, class the domestic races into two natural 

 though rather rough divisions, and we shall take them in that order ; discussing first the larger 

 varieties which are chiefly valued for economic purposes, and then proceeding to the small and 

 elegant forms — some of them of surpassing beauty — which delight the fancier who can gratify 

 himself with their possession. 



AYLESBURY DUCKS. — On this breed v.e cannot do better than give at once the notes 

 with which we have been kindly furnished by Mr. J. K. Fowler, Prebendal Farms, Aylesbury, 

 whose fame as an exhibitor is well known, and Mrs. Seamons, of Hartwell, Aylesbury, who 

 shared the honours with him until her retirement a short time ago ; it would, indeed, be scarcely too 

 much to say that while both exhibited, at least nine-tenths of the prizes for both ducks and geese 

 came to their hands. Mr. Fowler writes as follows : — 



" The county town of Buckinghamshire has given its name to the famous breed called 

 Aylesbury Ducks which there originated, and which has been peculiar to the neighbourhood 

 longer than the 'oldest inhabitant' can recollect. They are now world-renowned, and maybe 

 seen in all parts of Great Britain, our colonies, in most countries of the European continent, 

 and are also now becoming denizens of every poultry-yard in the United States and Canada. 

 They are certainly the most easily acclimatised of all the water-fowls, and thrive where other 

 breeds fail. The great merits of the Aylesburys are their hardiness, great size, and, above all, 

 their early development to maturity. 



" They are reared annually in enormous quantities in and around the town of Aylesbury, and 

 it is not uncommon to see a ton weight of ducklings of six to eight weeks old sent in one evening 

 to London by rail from the town and neighbouring villages. The trade for them commences in 

 February and lasts till about the end of July, and during all that time it is difficult to keep up 

 the supplies to meet the great demand. The birds are generally killed at six weeks old, at which 

 time they weigh about three pounds each ; and they realise prices ranging from nine shillings to 

 twenty-one shillings a couple as the season advances. After Ascot summer meeting it is always 

 noticed that the prices rapidly fall. The bulk of the rearing is done by cottagers, who make a 

 good living by the process, and many save considerable sums of money. It will surprise many. 



