FANCY WATERFOWL 
CHAPTER I. 
MANAGEMENT. 
C ONSIDERING their obvious popularity in such places 
of public resort as the London parks, it is remark- 
able that ornamental waterfowl are not more kept 
by private fanciers in England. Were it generally 
known, also, that of all birds the duck tribe are about 
the easiest to keep and breed, even in a small space, and 
that they fetch good prices, the fancy for these beauti 
ful creatures would be far more extensive than it is ; 
even now many varieties appear in the show-pen, and 
some of the most striking await introduction to the 
public. But 1 purpose at piesent to deal only with 
Avell-known and easily- obtained species, and what 1 
have to say will, 1 hope, specially interest people who 
are fond of a few feathered pets, but can only spare a 
few minutes daily to attend to them, and to whom, very 
likely, a bird which can be allowed to run without 
damage in the cherished garden-plot is of more value 
than a champion who goes the rounds to win honours in 
the show-pen. To such as these the members of the 
duck family can be warmly commended; no hiids re- 
quire less attention, and there are none whose presence 
is less prejudicial to the gardener’s hobby. 
PONDS AND ENCLOSURES. 
All ornamental ducks and geese of course require a 
pond ; but on account of the small size of many of the 
former, and the terrestrial habits of the latter, the extent 
of water needed is in many cases very small, only, of 
course, provision must be made fot keeping the water 
fresh and clean by having the pond cemented and fitted 
with a drain by which it can be emptied whenever it 
gets foul. The edges of the pond should be faced with 
brick or cement, to prevent the birds dabbling them 
away, if the water space is larger ; and they should also 
be sloped, at any rate in places, to allow of the easy 
entrance and egress of the birds. 
The enclosure surrounding the pond should he laid 
down, if possible, with grass, and in any case well planted 
with shrubs to afford shelter against sun and cold winds, 
and cosy nesting-sites as wel 1 ; though nest-boxes like 
small dog-kennels should also be placed in convenient 
spots. Most waterfowl are very hardy, and need 
nothing else in the way of shelter from the weather. 
The most important part, almost, of the enclosure is 
the fence surrounding it, which should be about breast- 
high if the pond is a large one, and not too far from the 
water, so that the birds cannot stray too far av r av from 
it. If the space available is comparatively small, such 
as the end of a garden, for instance, I should strongly 
advice netting in the whole of it overhead, and leaving 
the birds unpinioned. Very coarse netting will do, 
and one has the consolation of knowing that one’s pets 
are perfectly safe from cats at all events. Rats are not 
likely to damage old birds, except very small ones, such 
as Teal, and special means must be taken for protecting 
the ducklings. 
1 may here mention that any artificial pond in which 
ducks are kept, if too large to be entirely netted over, 
should have an island in the middle on which they 
might roost at night. They are quite intelligent 
enough to take advantage of this, and if a solid one 
cannot be made a raft will serve the purpose equally 
well. Bookwork is not needed as an adjunct to a 
duck-pond, as ducks are not usually rock-lrequenting 
birds ; but where any of the perching species are kept 
under cover unpinioned, dead branches should be 
fastened up for perches, and the nest - boxes hung 
high up, as such species also nest in trees. If pinioned 
birds are allowed to perch, the perches should project 
over the water, so that they can alight in this when 
leaving their roosts. 
PINIONING. 
If the birds are to be kept in open enc'osures, or 
allowed their liberty on a large pond where they cannot 
readily be caught up, they must be pinioned. To do 
this, first find the joint in the wing which lies close in 
front of the knuckle or pinion-joint, nearer the tip of 
the wing ; it is stiff and little movable, and overhung 
by the little plume of feathers known as the bastard 
wing. This joint should he cut through with a sharp 
knife, and about five quills will be found to be severed 
from the wing thereby ; the bleeding should be stopped 
with caustic. 
Pinioning, although the birds do not mind it much, is 
not a nice operation to have to perform, and generally 
disfigures the bird a little, as if the wing is at all long 
the absence of the longest quills on one side gives a lop- 
sided appearance. I therefore do not advise it where 
the space given to the birds can lie covered in ; and I 
do not see that in the case of show birds it is needed at 
a 1 !, for if a bird can be caught for show it can be caught 
to have a wffng cut. This operation need only he per- 
formed once a year, for ducks, unlike most other birds, 
drop all their quills at once, and renew them simul- 
taneously, so that one clipping serves till the next 
moult. 
CHOOSING STOCK. 
Care should be taken, in the case of the sw'ans, geese, 
and larger ducks, not to keep more than a pair in the 
same enclosure if space is limited, and not to associate 
even other species with them without great care, as 
these birds are often very savage. Even with the 
smaller ducks, breeding pairs to be kept in (he same 
enclosure should be of different species if breeding is 
