THE DOMMSTIOATION OF WILD BIBDS. 217 



recording in the gravest publicationa." Even in their native countries, where 

 they are reared in large numbers, and are kept so tame that they fly freely about 

 the houses, coming, like pigeons, to be fed, they never breed. 



On the other hand, the great pigeon family generally breeds almost as freely 

 undet confinement as when free, and many kinds of gallinaceous birds breed 

 quite freely in captivity. There ai-e some exceptions here ; the common partridge, 

 for instance, has rarely bred, even when kept in large aviaries; the grouse has 

 frequently bred when confined, and the pheasant also, though not so freely as 

 when free. 



The pstrich offers a striking example of the diMculty of deciding beforehand 

 whether an animal will submit to domestication, as it retains its fertility, al- 

 though somewhat impaired, when removed from its native haunts on desert 

 plains and in tropical forests to confined enclosures in a temperate climate. 



Most waders can be tamed, often with remarkable facility, and the cranes fre- 

 quently breed freely, yet several birds belonging to this order refuse to breed, 

 even in their native countries. 



The ducks and geese generally breed as freely as the pigeons and the (JalKnse, 

 but there are some exceptions ; thus Audubon kept some common wild or Canada 

 geese for more than eight years, yet they would not mate, while others have had 

 them to produce young during the second year. Of the gulls no instance is re- 

 corded of any variety except the herring-guU {Larua argentahis) ever breeding 

 in captivity.*'' 



From these examples it will be seen that a serious difficiilty is likely to meet 

 us at the outset in the attempt to bring any new species of fowl under domesti- 

 cation. Sometimes this difficulty will be found insurmountable, but in moat 

 cases even the most obstinately sterile species have at some time or other pro- 

 duced offspring in confinement, and, when one is so fortunate as to witness such 

 a departure from the general habit, the ofispring so produced should be care- 

 fully preserved and bred with its species, with the hope of finding the habit 

 broken in that case. 



In previous pages we have incidentally mentioned several partly domesticated 

 birds as being worthy of further culture, such as the Honduras Turkey and the 

 Cereopsis Goose. To these may be added the Eider Duck, which is partly domes- 

 ticated in Ireland and Norway,"where it frequebts low rooky islets near the coast, 

 and has long been afibrded encouragement and protection, a heavy fine being 

 imposed for killing it during the breeding season, while artificial nesting-places 

 are in many localities contrived for its further accommodation. ' These nesting- 

 places are regarded strictly as private property, and are protected as such by 

 law. The ducks nest in these places, laying about five eggs, and bedding them 

 in down which they pluck from their breasts. These eggs and the down are 

 then taken by the owner of the " Eider-fold," wheij the duck will lay again. To- 

 wards the end of the season the duck will be allowed to hatch a few eggs to keep 

 np the stock. 



Eiders of different species inhabit all northern coasts. Those of the eastern 

 United States have been much diminished by persecution, but are still abundant 



~ 'Variation ol Animals and Plants, etc., Vol. II., pp. 186-140. 



