FLESH FOOD FURNISHED BY THE FEATHERED TRIBES. 171 



more may be deducted as killed by disease and acci- 

 dents. There will remain therefore 6,000,000, which, 

 sold at 2^ fr. each, produce a sum of 15,000,000 fr. If 

 we add for extra fine birds an added value of 500,000 fr., 

 we have a total of 18,740,300 fr. The 2,520,400 ducks 

 will lay on an average 30 eggs each yearly, in all 

 75,612,000 eggs, which, sold at 6 centimes each, yield a 

 sum of 4,536,720 fr. ; this, added to the poultry value, 

 gives a total of 23,277,020 fr., or nearly £1,000,000 for 

 ducks and their eggs. 



The best ducks of France are raised in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Rouen. The ducklings of Rouen are sought 

 after for roasting, those of Amiens for their livers, which 

 serve to make excellent pates ; those of Toulouse are 

 also in request for their fat livers which are of first-rate 

 quality ; there is an enormous trade carried on in them 

 either in p^tes or in terrines with truffles, and in cookery 

 they are employed under a thousand names as entries or 

 hors d'ceuvre. When well hung, a Rouen duck is a 

 splendid table bird, but for maturity and delicacy in 

 early spring it must yield to its white riA'^al — the Ayles- 

 bury. It is not an uncommon thing for a ton weight of 

 ducklings to be despatched from Aylesbury in a single 

 night. Now a ton of young ducks from six to eight 

 weeks old will comprise perhaps 450 birds, worth in 

 the best part of the spring, 6s. to 10s. a couple. 



Considerable supplies of ducks are brought from 

 ■Holland, and some turkeys as well ; but the Norwich 

 dealers' duck supplies are mostly gathered in the 

 county. Rouens and Aylesburies have not been much 

 used for crossing ; and the supplies are generally of the 

 small mixed-brown-and-cinnamon sort, which has sub- 

 sisted since the flood. The cottagers do not force their 

 ducklings, but sell them to the dealers, one of whom 

 takes 30,000 a year, principally in the duck-and-green- 

 pea season. They come to him about 3 lb., in weight ; 

 and after a week in the lean and three in the fat yard, 

 they are turned out in prime condition, with fully 1 lb. 

 gain in flesh. 



