A GUIDE FOR KEEPERS OF POULTRY 67 
profitable as markct fowls. Almost all the breeds are 
good layers. Young ducks have been considered a dainty 
dish from very early times, and much attention has been 
paid to breeding them. 
The white breeds no doubt are descended from albino 
ducks bred together. That this can be done is a matter 
of recent record, as an Englishman secured two wild 
white Mallards and bred a flock of white Mallards from 
them, noticing that they increased in size under domes- 
tication. 
Pekin Ducks.—This breed is the favorite in America. 
It was first brought to this country about 1874, and at 
once became the favorite breed, a distinction it has main- 
tained up to this time. They are excellent layers and the 
young make very rapid growth, reaching the weight of 10 
‘pounds to the pair at 10 weeks of age, at which time 
duck-farmers sell them in the market. This breed came 
to us in its present form from Pekin, China, where ducks 
are a very important branch of industry, millions of them 
being bred along the river. They are creamy white in 
color, with orange-colored legs and bills. The drake 
weighs 8 and the hen 7 pounds. 
Rouen Ducks.—This breed was probably named for the 
city of Rouen in France, although there have been va- 
rious theories about this. It has been claimed that they 
were once called “Rone” ducks, from the River Rhone 
and “Roan” from the roan color of the females; but as 
they have long been bred in the country about Rouen and 
are known to have been sent from there to England in 
large numbers, it is altogether likely that they get their 
name from the city. 
The Rouen duck is a beautiful bird, so far as colors go, 
as it is an exact reproduction of the wild Mallard. The 
