THE MUSCOVY DUCKS 
225 
baculmum ; that is, take a sticke or wand, a yard of 
length, ?nd more, and let it be as great as a man’s 
ynger -ind wyth it anoynt the back and shoulders 
well, ming and evening, and doe thy3 21 dayes— 
and if this fever wyll not be holpen in that tyme, let 
them beware of waggynge on the gallowes. And 
whyles they doe take thys medecine, put no lubber- 
wort in theyre pottage.” E. S. 
THE MUSCOVY DUCKS.—FIG 58. 
The French naturalists assert that the Muscovy > 
duck is a distinct species, and not a variety. It is 
much larger than the common duck, and is distin¬ 
guished by a caruncled membrane of a red color, 
which Brun compares to a cherry, covering the 
cheeks, and extending behind the eyes, and swells at 
the root of the bill; this tubercle • is wanting in the 
female, as also the tuft of narrow feathers, and rather 
twisted, which hangs behind the head of the male, 
which stands erect when excited. She is also small¬ 
er ; both stand low on the legs, have short claws, 
and the inner ones crooked; are a clumsy bird on 
the ground, light on the wing, and will perch on 
fences, &c. 
“ In a wild state,” says Brun, “ the drake is of a 
brownish black color, with a broad white patch on 
the wings, the female being smaller and more ob¬ 
scurely colored.” In the domestic state, it exhibits 
every variety of color, like a common duck. “ At 
one time,” says Biun, “ the male is white, at ano¬ 
ther, the female white ; in other instances, both male 
and female are black, and again of great diversities 
of color; but they are commonly black, variegated 
with other colors.” The black are glossed with 
green on the back, and changeable, as they are expos¬ 
ed to the rays of the sun. 
The Muscovy duck, it appears, is only found in a 
wild state in South America. Marcgrave has ob¬ 
served it in the Brazils; it is also a native of Guiana. 
Travellers assert that these birds perch on the large 
trees that border rivers and marshes, similar to terres¬ 
trial birds ; they build their nests there, and as soon 
as the ducklings are hatched, the mother takes them 
one by one, and drops them into the water; laying 
*akee place two or three times a-year, and each is 
’ from twelve to eighteen eggs, quite round, and of a 
greenish white; the moulting season begins in Sep¬ 
tember, and is sometimes so complete, that the ducks, 
finding themselves almost entirely destitute of fea¬ 
thers, are unable to fly, and let themselves be taken 
alive by the Indians. These birds are as shy as our 
wild ducks, and it is by surprise alone that they are 
to be shot.— Main . 
The Muscovy duck is easily fattened, and a pro¬ 
lific breeder, and hence, and though it is also a vora¬ 
cious feeder, it may be rendered profitable to rear. 
The male is very salacious, and pairs readily with the 
common duck, producing, by the cross, a hybrid or 
mongrel breed, which improves the size of the one 
and the delicacy of the other, but the mongrels, like 
that of the wild and tame goose, will not breed. 
The female will also, though not so readily, pair 
with the common drake. The hybrid has a deep 
green plumage, and is destitute of the red caruncled 
membrane on the cheeks, as well as the musky odor 
of the rump gland of the Muscovy duck. Out of one 
hundred eggs of this hybrid sort, M. Parmentier was 
able to succeed in hatching scarcely twenty duck¬ 
lings; and hence, to keep up the stock, Olivier de 
Serres advises to continue crossing every year, by 
keeping a sufficient number of Muscovy drakes with 
the common ducks. 
Scaliger and Olivier de Serres have given out this 
duck was dumb. 
The Muscovy drakes are often very cross aud 
quarrelsome with other poultry, and we have known 
them to attack small children, particularly when they 
happen to have any food in their hands, and for 
which reason we have abandoned the rearing of 
them .—Amer Poult. Companion. 
