ducks and Their varieties 



141 



Aylesbury Drake. 



close feathers that glisten in the sunlight like satin. The advan- 

 tages claimed for this breed are the easiness with which it is accli- 

 mated, its early maturing, its great hardiness, its large size, being 

 heavier than any except the Rouen, its great prolificacy and its 

 beauty. 



The Pekin 



The Pekin is undoubtedly the most popular breed on the large 

 duck ranches in the East, where thousands of them are fattened and 

 turned off every season. This breed is variously called the Imperial 

 Pekin and the Mammoth Pekin and Rankin's Pekin. It was brought 

 to this country from China in the early seventies and immediate- 

 ly took the first place as the most prolific and rapidly growing 



Mammoth Pekin Drake. Reichart's Duck Farm, San Francisco. 



