has had them through no other medium thus far. The public 

 wants these facts and it wants them badly. 



Several of the earlier breeders gave me all the help I asked. 

 For this they have my hearty thanks, and I know that they will 

 have that of the public which is interested in Indian Runners, 

 as well. Others ignored my request, or answered far afield. To 

 one breeder, I wrote thus : "Davis, of Michigan, tells me that 

 you were one of the original breeders of Indian Runners. I 

 want to find out just when they came into the United States and 

 who imported them. Do you know who was the first, and wheth- 

 er or not the birds came from England ? Also, how long ago ? I 

 see McGrew says little is known about them. I know what Eng- 

 lish breeders say, but it seems to me it ought to be possible to find 

 out where United States breeders got them, and when the first 

 were imported. It has been given out here that they came from 

 the West Indies, which I do not at all beheve, unless the two types 

 which we are breeding at present in this country had a different 

 origin entirely. Reply would very greatly assist," etc. All but 

 one of these questions was ignored in the answer. 



I had two ideas in mind in speaking of origin. The West 

 Indian story, which I have refuted elsewhere, had gone all over 

 the United States, and, having been credited to a reputable writer, 

 who was a breeder of the Indian Runners before most of us had 

 heard of them, it was quite generally accepted as fact; especially 

 by those who did not know much about the duck in England, and 

 what the best English breeders had to say about it. Moreover, 

 England and the West Indies have had many dealings, throughout 

 many years, and it was not an incredible story, in the light of pos- 

 sibihties, that our Indian Runners should have come to us, in 

 part, at least, through the West Indies. 



Aside from this, there was the possibility of different origins 

 of different strains. In 1910, at the New York show, a man 

 prominent in affecting the fate of Indian Runners in this country 



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