554 The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 



itself has been shown ; besides which there are the Teal, the Garganey Teal, Shieldrake, Shoveller, 

 Pintail, Wigeon, Pochard, &c. Few of them will breed in confinement as a rule ; still they are 

 most interesting and pretty pets ; the Garganey Teal especially, with its exquisitely-pencilled 

 plumage, being a bird of remarkable beauty. 



THE SPOTTED-BILL DUCK.— One of the latest introductions is the duck thus named, 

 which attracted considerable attention from "duck-fanciers" at the Crystal Palace Show of 

 1S72, and respecting which, and the management of these foreign or wild exotics generally, 

 we have been kindly furnished with the following notes by the Rev. W. Serjeantson, of Acton 

 Burnell, Shrewsbury : — 



" The ducks which I sent to the Crystal Palace and' Bristol Shows last winter were Spotted- 

 Billed Ducks, Anas pcEcilorJiynca, Several couples were sent over to England from Cawnpore by a 

 friend of mine last summer, and of those which survived the voyage, two pairs v. ere kept at the 

 Regent's Park Gardens, and the other two pairs were sent to me as soon as they had recovered their 

 health and strength under Mr, Bartlett's skilful nursing. I believe these four pairs are the only 

 ones in Europe at the present time. They are very handsome ducks. The bill is jet black with a 

 red spot at the base, and a yellow tip, whence their name. The breast of the drake is pale brown, 

 beautifully marked with dark brown spots, reminding one of the brown spots on a big trout. The 

 wing-spot is larger and of a brighter green than in any other duck I know, and has a band of black 

 and another of white both above and below it. The tertiaries are long and particularly broad, and 

 very conspicuous, the outer web being white. These are their most noticeable points. The 

 marking of the duck is less distinct, and the colour less bright. 



" The gentleman who was kind enough to send them, writes in a letter to me, ' We in 

 Cawnpore always reckon it the best duck for the table of all that are found in India. There is 

 little doubt that the breed may be kept up, if the birds can be brought to England ; and I think 

 that they may be made the basis of a very fine domestic breed.' So may it be ! I am looking 

 forward with great interest to next spring, hoping to see this prediction fulfilled. 



" I have several other varieties of fancy ducks, which all run together in an orchard something 

 less than an acre in extent, surrounded by wire netting or high palings. They have for companions 

 Black East Indian Ducks, Black Hamburghs, Japanese Bantams, and Fantail Pigeons (by the way, I 

 may here mention for the benefit of ' those whom it may concern,' as there are disputes on the 

 subject, that the Hamburghs and Bantams have been thus running together for two years without 

 the least ill effects, neither of them interfering in any way with the other.) The Fantails have their 

 own particular meals at another time and place, but they generally fly down to take their part in 

 the scramble ^\•hich ensues among all the ducks and fowls when the food is scattered among them 

 on the grass. The food consists generally of a mixture of equal parts of barley-meal and sharps, 

 varied with Indian corn and small but sound wheat. There is a small artificial pond supplied by a 

 spring for the ducks, and on each side of it I have planted a thick mass of laurels, rhododendrons, 

 &c. The fowls are allowed to run in these during the autumn and winter ; but at the beginning of 

 the breeding season they are fenced round with wire netting, and reserved for the ducks alone, small 

 nest-boxes being put among them for those of the ducks that choose to make use of them. 



" Fancy ducklings are better reared under small hens or Bantams, and I think it is of great 

 importance that they should always have a warm dry bed in all weathers. With this view I have 

 had loose wooden floors made to all the coops, which are cleaned out every day, and a little dry 

 grass or hay scattered over them, just enough to cover the boards. (For chickens I use diy sand or 

 sandy soil). One great advantage of the floors is that the coops can be put in the garden or 



