The history of the Runner in England, however, is easily to 

 be followed back for twenty-five years. If it becomes hazy as we 

 go farther back, this need not surprise the Yankees who have 

 managed so to conceal their tracks in about sixteen years that in 

 a new book advertised as the best in America, and giving sixteen 

 LINES to the Runners, it is plainly stated that the origin of these 

 ducks cannot be traced authentically. But a Rouen cross is there 

 admitted. Was that Rouen cross a Yankee contribution? 



If, as no one really doubts, the Indian Runner Ducks came 

 to us from England, it would seem, indeed, the part of common- 

 sense, and of courtesy no less, to accept the story of their origin 

 as presented by the best and oldest English breeders. American 

 shrewdness, however, professes to have discovered that the Brit- 

 ish, no matter how decent people they be, are presumably equivo- 

 cating about the origin of the Indian Runner Duck. 



Soon after 1900 a new story, to the effect that the British 

 did not get their Runners from East India or any other old place 

 whence old sea-captains come out of obscurity, but just across the 

 channel in Belgium, appeared ! But its authors carelessly omitted 

 to tell us how it happened that when those Belgian ducks flew (?) 

 across the channel, they chanced to light in County Cumberland, 

 away off to the north-west, as far as possible from Belgium. 

 Frankly, I think this story very far-fetched. For, the English 

 certainly could not be ignorant of the existence of these thousands 

 of Belgian ducks. If they were really the same thing as the In- 

 dian Runners it would be well known on both sides of the chan- 

 nel ; in which case the only possible conclusion would be that the 

 English breeders have deliberately clouded their origin, then lied 

 about it for these scores of years. Certainly no fair-minded 

 Americans wish to support this unworthy view. 



The inevitable "old sea captain" (another one!) figured in 

 another story as the source from whence the ducks came. But 

 the one point needing special notice is that the Virginian lady who 



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