66 CAIRINA MOSCHATA 



wild state the males are about double the size of the females and of course remain 

 active on the wing. Domestic life appears to have brought about more retrogression 

 in the males than in the females, for the latter usually fly well. 



Hybridization. This species crosses readily with domestic Mallards and the off- 

 spring are of enormous size and weight, but sterile. They differ according to which 

 species is the male parent. Those hybrids having the Mallard as the male parent 

 do lay a few small eggs, incapable of development and there are interesting structural 

 differences of the trachea (Heinroth, 1911; Poll, 1906). I reared a number of these 

 crosses and found them excellent for the table. 



This duck has also been crossed with the Spur-winged Goose (Plectropterus) as 

 mentioned under that species; and with the Egyptian Goose (Leverkiihn, 1890; 

 Lecaillon, 1922), and even with the Shoveller (Leverkiihn, 1890). 



History of Domestication. As already noted under "Distribution" the old 

 theory that this species originally came from southern Russia or Turkey has been 

 definitely dismissed. There are, however, various theories as to the locality from 

 which the first specimens were taken to Europe. De Armas (1893, p. 319) offers 

 what seems to me the most plausible explanation. His argument briefly is as follows : 

 The Muscovy was first met with at Cartagena, the capital of the State of Bolivar, 

 Colombia, in 1514, where according to Oviedo the Indians kept it in domestication 

 and called it "Quayaiz." He describes the warts about the head and makes the 

 identity clear, showing also that the color had already been affected by domestica- 

 tion. It was extremely abundant in Peru, whence the Spaniards exported it under 

 the name of "Pato perulero" to Central America, Mexico, and Europe. Garcilasso 

 says it was the only domestic bird of the Peruvians. After death the natives dried 

 the birds in the sun, pulverized them, and used the powder as a perfume! Pizarro 

 even gave some of this perfume to the King of Spain. They were domesticated also 

 in Paraguay, where, as Cabeza de Vaca says, they were of great utility in combating 

 a plague of crickets. At the beginning of the past century, Noceda, the friend of 

 Azara, wrote that the white ducks domesticated on the banks of the Plata were 

 specifically different from the wild ones, but Azara argued that they were one and 

 the same species. Azara perceived no musky odor and contradicted Buffon on this 

 point. Belon mentioned the bird as coming from the New World. Cardanus and 

 Rondelet also knew its origin and sent descriptions and drawings to Gesner, who 

 reproduced these in his De Avibus (1555). It was mentioned by Dr. John Kay or 

 Caius (De Rariorum, 1570) as present in England at that time. Nevertheless, some 

 supposed it to have come from Turkey, some from Egypt, some from Barbary, and 

 some from Russia. This last mistaken origin began with a translator from the Latin, 

 who, reading Anas Moschata, translated it into French Oie de Muscovie. Prince 



