DUCKS AND GEESE 431 



and usefulness are not yet determined. Its place of origin, 

 usually attributed to India, is uncertain. 



For i)ractical ])urposes ducks may he di\'idcd into three 

 groups, namely, (1) the meat group, which includes the 

 Pekin, Aylesbury, Muscovy, Rouen, Cayuga, Buff, and 

 Swedish (2) the egg group, which includes the Iiunner 

 only, and (3) the ornamental group, which is comprised of 

 the Call, Crested White and Black East India. The ]\fan- 

 darin and Wood ducks are beautiful birds which could well 

 be included in The Stand-ard. 



Breeding Ducks. — The heaviest, most vigorous, and best- 

 shaped birds should be selected, at the time of marketing 

 the green ducks, as breeders the succeeding year. Watery 

 eyes are usually considered a sign of weakness in ducks. By 

 selecting the largest birds as breeders, the rapidity of growth 

 in the offspring may be increased to such an extent that the 

 average weight of ten-weeks-old ducks may be raised consid- 

 erably. Individual Pekin drakes have been known to weigh 

 nine pounds at this age and ducks, seven. With good care, 

 ducks begin to lay from the first of December until the middle 

 of February, and should lay from eighty to one hundred 

 eggs each before the middle of July, when they begin to 

 moult. Only ducks over two years old should be used for 

 breeding. The drake is at his best the first two seasons. 



Number of Ducks per Drake. — In the early part of the breed- 

 ing season five ducks should be allowed for each drake, and 

 the number increased as the season progresses. The propor- 

 tion of drakes should be decreased when they begin to worry 

 the ducks. In April eight or ten females is not too many for 

 one drake. 



Means of Telling Drake from Duck. — In the colored varieties, 

 as the Rouen, the drake may be distinguished by his brilliant 

 coloring, but in the solid white varieties, such as the Pekin 

 and Aylesbury, the task is not so easy. The drake seldom 

 quacks, but hisses, is generally heavier, and not so fine 

 about the head and neck. The most pronounced difference, 

 however, is that the drake has two feathers near the base of 

 the tail, called "curl feathers," which curl toward the head, 

 while the duck's feathers lie smooth. 



