54S 
The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
as it is called in North Shropshire, a ‘pit,’ and there I leave them to their own devices, and until the 
acorns have ceased falling they never ask me for food. They can fly like wild ducks, but never go 
away, and I have never lost any ; but, at the same time, I would advise all who introduce them into 
their yards for the first time to take care, by clipping or tying the flight-feathers, or in some other 
way, to stop all flying until they become used to their new abode. I have known many lost 
through want of this precaution. Ducks are notoriously bad to manage when ill ; no medicine 
seems to have the least effect. But several times, when mine have refused to eat, and were pining 
away, as they do sometimes, I have cured them by keeping them in a warm place, and cramming 
them with bread and milk. This is the only remedy I have ever found of any use.” 
CALL DUCKS are less seen at poultry-shows now than formerly. At one time they were 
the principal “fancy” ducks shown; but of late the Mandarin, Carolina, and other more striking 
varieties have pretty much superseded them as exhibition birds, though they still retain their 
popularity for lakes and other ornamental waters, and are occasionally used as decoys on account 
of their constant utterance of the shrill “call” from which they take their name. For show they 
GREY CALL DUCKS. 
should be as small as possible, but very good ones are rather rare. Mr. Serjeantson — a capital 
judge — informs us that the best he has seen for many years were shown at Birmingham in 1872, 
by Mr. Robertson Gladstone, of Liverpool. 
There are two varieties of Call Ducks, termed White and Grey, which resemble respectively 
Bantam Aylesburys and Rouens, except that the bills of the white variety are a bright yellow. 
Fanciers also prefer a slightly different shape for the heads ; those birds being most esteemed 
which have very short bills and prominent foreheads ; or, as a pigeon-fancier would call it, a “good 
stop” to the bill. On the water Call Ducks are very active and lively. 
THE MANDARIN DUCK, called also the Chinese Teal, and by naturalists Aix galericulata, 
is certainly the most gorgeous of all the ornamental duck tribes ; and having been exhibited for 
many years, it is matter of astonishment that it should not previously have been described in even 
the most pretentious works on poultry. It very closely resembles the variety next on our list, 
and at most large shows now a special class is offered at which either Mandarins and Carolinas 
alone, or, in some cases, “ any other ornamental variety except black,” are allowed to compete 
together. To class them with Black East Indians, as is still done at some shows, is most unjust 
to both classes, since, except in the matter of size, there is no common standard of comparison. 
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