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taught by the parent, but from the importunate 
Cravings of it's appetite for animal food; the 
cuckow follows a very different way of life from 
that v/hich it's mirfe is capable of teaching it; and 
birds of the Duck kind in particular follow their 
appetites rather than their tutors, and attain their 
Various perfeftions without the help of any guide. 
The arts of man, indeed, are the refult of accumu- 
lated experience ; while thofe of inferior animals 
are generally felf-taught, and unacquired by imi- 
tation. 
Duck-eggs are ufually placed under a hen, be- 
caufe that animal is fuppofed to hatch them better 
than the original parent. The Duck generally 
proves a heedlefs, inattentive mother; for fhe fre- 
quently leaves her eggs till they become corrupted, 
and even feems to forget that fhe is entrufled with 
the charge: fhe is equally regardlefs of her young 
brood when they are produced; for flie only leads 
them forth to the water, and then feems to think 
that fhe has made fuflicient provifion for them. 
Whatever advantages might be fecured by draw- 
ing near the houfe, or attending in the yard, fhe 
declines them all ; and will rather fuffer thofe ver- 
min which ufually haunt the waters to deftroy her 
brood, than be at the fmalleft pains in bringing 
tliem to a place of (helter and fecurity. But, on 
the contrary, the hen, who is an indefatigable 
Rurfe, broods with unwearied afTiduity, and gene- 
rally brings forth a chicken from every egg wi h 
which fhe is entrufted: fhe docs not indeed con- 
du£l her young to the water, becaufe that is con- 
trary to her nature; but fhe always keeps a watch- 
f\il eye over them when they ft and on the brink. 
Should the rat or the weafel attempt to feize any 
of them, the hen affords them inftant proteftion; 
and, leading her fuppofititious brood to the houfe 
when tired with paddling, there nourifhes them 
with all the inftindlive ardour of maternal re- 
gard. 
There ai'e no fewer than ten difl'erent varieties 
of the Tamx Duck ; and BrifTon enumerates up- 
wards of twenty of the wild. The mofl obvious 
difl"in6lion, however, between wild and Tame 
Ducks, lies in the colour of their feet; thofe of 
the Tame being black, and the wild yellow. 
The comimon fpecics of Tame Ducks derive 
their origin from the mallard, and may be traced 
to that fowl by unerring characters. Though 
the drakes vary in colour, they all retain the curled 
feathers of the tail, and both iexes the fhape of the 
bill, peculiar to the v/ild kind. Nature, indeed, 
feems to fport v/ith the colours of all domeftic ani- 
mals, that mankind may with more facility diftin- 
guifli and claim their refpe6tive property. 
The mallard is ufually about tv/enty-three inches 
in length, thirty-five inches in breadth, and about 
two pounds and a half in v/eight. The bill is of a 
yellov/ifli green colour; and the head and neck are 
a deep fliining green. A circle of white furrounds 
the lower part of the neck, to about three-fourths 
of it's circumference; the upper part of the 
breaft, and tlie beginning of the back, are a pur- 
plifh red; the breaft and belly are grey, marked 
with tranfverfe fpeckled lines of a dufl<;y hue; and 
the fcapulars are white, elegantly barred with 
brown. The fpot on the wing is a rich purple 
one; and the tail is compofed of twenty- four fea- 
thers. The male of this fpecies is diflinguifhed 
by four middle feathers, which are black and 
llrongly curled upwards; but the female is detli- 
tute of them. Their plumage is a pale reddifli 
DUG 
brown, fpotted with black ; and their legs are faf-. 
fron-coloured. 
Tame Ducks are extremely beneficial to man- 
kind ; and by no means chargeable, as they fubfifb 
on loft corn, worms, fnails, and other infeds. 
They lay a great number of eggs annually; and, 
when fitting, require no manner of attendance, ex- 
cept that of throwing fmall quantities of barlev at 
times within their reach : and widi refpefl to Duck- 
lings, they may be fattened in the fpace of three 
weeks with any kind of pulfe or grain, and plenty 
of water. 
The vefTels of the Duck, efpecially about the 
heart, are conftrufled in lo particular a manner, as 
to enable it to live a confiiicrable time, in the a6t 
of diving under water, without re^pu-ation. This 
peculiarity induced the ingenious Mr. Boyle to 
confider it as a more proper fubjeft for experi- 
ments, by means of the air-pump, than any of the 
feathered tribe: accordingly, a full-grown Duck 
having been put into the receiver of that inftru- 
ment, of which fhe filled a third part, and the air 
cxhaufted, the creature appeared at firft to fuftain 
the operation better than a hen, or any fuch fowl, 
could pofTibly have done; but, after the lapfe ot 
one minute, fhe evidenced ftrong figns of dilcom- 
pofure; and, in lefs than two more, her head drop- 
ped, and fhe appeared in a dying ftate till revived 
by the admifTion of a certain portion of air. Thus, 
whatever facility of diving the Duck and other 
aquatic fowls may pofTefs, it does not appear that 
they can fubfift without the means of refpiration any 
longer than other animals. A young callow Duck 
was alfo tried in the fame manner, and experienced 
the like effeil, namely, that of being almoft fufFo- 
cated in lefs than two minutes. But it ought to be 
remarked, that both of the foregoing birds fwelled 
fb prodigioufly, on the pumxping out of the air, as 
to appear much larger, efpecially about their crops, 
than they were naturally. It not being the feem- 
ing intention of Nature that any water-fowl fhould 
fubfift in an exceedingly rarified air, but only con- 
tinue occaiionally under water; though {he has fur- 
nifhed them with faculties capable of performing 
the latter, fhe has left them utterly impotent with 
refpe6t to the former. 
One of tlie moft .convincing inftanccs of the 
Duck's being calculated to live in every fituation, 
with refpeft to fome of it's varieties, may be drawn 
from the hiftory of the blind Ducks of the lake 
Zirchnitzer, in Carniola. It is now well known 
that this lake communicates with another under 
ground in the mountain Savornick, and is filled 
or emptied according to the quantity of water con- 
tained in the laft ; the waters of the fuperior lake 
running off by vaft- holes in it's bottom. The 
Ducks, which are there very plentiful, are often 
carried down with the ftream, and forced into the 
fubterraneous lake by the ftrength of the vortex; 
in which unnatural fituation many of them unquef- 
tionably perifli, but thofe which remain alive be- 
come blind, and lofe all their feathers; and, at the 
next filling of the lake, both they end vaft quan- 
tities of fifh are thrown up witli tl e water. At 
this time they are very plump; and, being defti- 
tute of fight, and confequently incapable of avoid- 
ing danger, they are caught with facility. In the 
fpace of fourteen days, they recover their fight and 
their plumage, and are then of the fize of the com- 
mon wild Duck, and of a black colour, excepting 
a white fpot on each of their foreheads. When 
opened immediately on their emerging from the 
fubterraneous 
