388 
The Australasian Book of Poultry. 
There are a number of different varieties of the Duck family suitable for ornamental purposes on 
account of the beauty of form and plumage ; of these, the chief are the Falcated Duck, the Japanese Teal 
Duck, and the Bahama Duck. The Falcated Duck has the upper portion of the shoulders covered with 
long pointed feathers, wliich fall over the wings. This Duck has a beautiful crest of a purplish-green colour. 
The drake's body colour is silver grey, which is pencilled all over with black, presenting a most handsome 
appearance; the throat is white, below which is a ring of green, followed by a ring of white. The Japanese 
Teal Duck is closely allied to the Mandarin Duck. The top of the drake's head is blackish-grey, a white 
streak extending over the eye, from the eye downward there is a black stripe extending and meeting a black 
patch under the thtoat, and enclosing a white blaze in front of the face. Behind this stripe is another of 
white, behind which and backwards from the eye, is a crescent of bronzy-green colour, the lower points of 
which come forward and nearly meet on the breast. The breast is a light shade of purple, beautifully 
spotted with black, the colour gradually shading off to white on the belly and under-parts. The shanks and 
shoulders are a silver-grey, with beautiful pencilling, the shoulders having a broad crescent of white as in the 
Mandarin Dack. The wing spot is bronzy-green, edged above with brown, the lower edges being white. 
The tail and wings are greyish-brown, the shoulder coverts having long pointed feathers covering and 
dropping over the wings the same as the Falcated Duck, these feathers edged on one side with brown, on 
the other with white, the centre being black ; under the tail is quite black. The Duck is very similar in 
marking to the common Wild Duck or Mallard. The Bahama Duck is a very handsome and attractive 
variety of waterfowl, the plumage being principally composed of lightest brown, pencilled all over with a 
darker brown. 
Of the various tribes of Wild Ducks, the Mallard is the best known. The Teal, Shilldrake, 
Pintail, Widgeon, etc., etc., being much rarer. The Spotted Bill Duck is domesticated in some 
parts of India, being considered one of the finest of table ducks. The bill is jet black, with a spot of 
red at the base, and a tip of yellow at the extremity. The drake's breast is a pale brown, marked all 
over with dark brown spots. The wing-spot or bar is a beautiful lustrous green, with two bands of black 
and white both above and below the spot. The duck, like most other varieties, is of a quieter plumage 
than the drake. 
Where an artificial pond or small natural lake can be devoted to the entire use of the Ducks the birds 
will soon get tame, but they must not be handled, as this makes them shy and nervous. They are best 
secured by enclosing the pond or lake with wire netting, first pinioning them. This can easily be done by 
severing the first joint of the wing with a pair of scissors, taking care not to cut away the small projecting 
point near the elbow of the wing. The best plan in feeding the adult stock is by varying the grains — such 
as cracked corn, peas, barley, wheat, oats, hemp-seed, canary-seed, &c., which should be placed in shallow 
troughs. A plentiful supply of green food is necessary to keep them in good health, ard plenty of shade must 
be provided. This can be done by planting bushy ornamental trees or shrubs around the banks of the pond or 
lake. It is best to hatch any eggs laid by the aid of hens, a small one being preferable. The ducklings 
should be fed at first with chopped hard-boiled egg, mixed with bread crumbs, a little barley-meal, oat-meal, 
or maize-meal, by way of a change. This should be placed in shallow dishes or earthenware troughs, giving 
only sufficient to be eaten up clean at each time of feeding. After the second or third day minced meat and 
earth worms should occasionally be given, green food never being neglected. The secret in breeding these 
beautiful wild birds is to follow nature as much as possible in their surroundings, and there are few, if any, 
pursuits so attractive as the breeding and rearing of these ornamental Wild Fowl. 
In Judging the larger and better known varieties of Domesticated Ducks, size is the chief point, 
providing that plumage and bill markings are fairly good, but in judging the smaller and more beautifully 
feathered specimens, where size is no qualification, beauty of form and characteristic markings, and brilliancy 
of feather, coupled with condition, are the considerations which should weigh most in the Judge's mind when 
awarding prizes- 
