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Hubert D. Astley — Avicultural Notes



two ponds in the garden, and can, furthermore, stray away, which

some of them do in the breeding season, so that nests are difficult to

find. However, I have a goodly number of young summer Ducks,

(Carolina), some Pintails, and three Bahamas. It is far better to hatch

them under Bantams, and I find Yokohama Bantams are excellent

mothers. Large hens cannot help crushing the tiny ducklings during

the first two or three days of their lives, for the ducklings lie so flat

and are apparently nothing but down, so that the hens are, however

worthy their intentions, quite unaware when they have their feet on

the babies. I keep my ducklings in small Bantam’s houses, shutting

them at night in the roosting houses, which have sliding doors for

exit into the wired runs, which are covered. There are no floors to these

runs, and the houses can be wheeled on to fresh grass every day. A

large pan filled with duck-weed and just enough water for the ducklings

to dibble in is provided, the duck-weed being gathered from a pond

and teeming with shrimps. Duck-meal is scattered on the grass and

amongst the weed, and I also give clean maggots and fly cocoons. I put

an earthenware saucer of moistened meal in the little roosting-house

when the birds are shut in for the night, so that they can feed as early

as they like next morning, and be out of danger from rats during the

night. A few years ago I had a brood of. eight Pintails, half-grown and

feathering well. I left the shutter of the roosting-house open one

night. Next morning five were lying mauled and dead. A rat had

worked in under the wire run !


I have had great hopes that my pair of Indian Cotton Teal would

nest. The only pair in Europe ! which I have had for eight years.

The little male has displayed constantly to his mate this spring, and

as constantly uttered his curious call, which may be described as

kak-kak ! kak-kak-kak ! A very conspicuous bird in his nuptial

plumage, snow white face and flanks, and bottle-green back ; a black

line divides the white of the neck from that of the flanks. The eyes are

ruby red. I have never seen these birds dive, and to eat grain under

water it must be in the shallows, where they can reach it by tipping up.


I would that more of this tiny and lovely species could be sent to

England, since I have proved that it can be most easily kept, and is

apparently as long-lived as other ducks, and very hardy.



