300 
[Orru t:s. 
AMERICAX AG-111GULTUIlI ST. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
The Musk Duck. 
This duck, better known as Muscovy Duck, is a 
native of South America. The French naturalists 
consider it a distinct species and not a variety. 
The first point that strikes one, is the dispropor¬ 
tionate size of the male and female, the latter not 
exceeding five, or at most six pounds, live weight, 
while the drake frequently grows to weigh as 
much as nine or ten pounds. 
It is asserted by authors that the epithet Musk 
has been given to this duck, because it exhales 
a rather strong musky scent, owing to a humor 
which filtrates from glands placed near the rump. 
On account of this peculiar odor, they have near¬ 
ly been banished from our tables. It is strange 
that a dish, once in the very highest repute, 
which graced every feast one hundred and fifty 
years ago, and added dignity to every table at 
which it was served, should now be so much out 
of fashion as scarcely ever to be seen or tasted. 
The reason, probably, why this duck at the 
present time is in such ill-favor, is that old and 
musky birds have been used. To take away this 
musky smell, the flesh of the rump should be re¬ 
moved, and the head cut off as soon as a bird of 
this species is killed. It is then, if not too old, a 
very good dish, and as succulent as the wild duck. 
The flesh is at first high flavored and tender, but 
deliver us from an old bird, which is rank and 
the toughest of tough meats. But to have this 
duck in perfection, it should be killed when young, 
just before it is fully fledged, as it is longer in be¬ 
coming fit for the table than the common duck. 
Whatever is said against it, arises, we believe, 
from prejudice, for we never knew one to sit down 
to dine off a young Musk duck, in good condition, 
of the age when the wings are just grown, who 
did not pronounce it really excellent. The flesh 
is tender, juicy, and not inferior to the wild duck, 
as the writer can testify. 
The Musk duck is easily fattened, and a prolific 
bteeder, and hence, though it is a voracious feed¬ 
er, it may be rendered profitable to rear. The 
rearing of the young is not attended with greater 
difficulty than is ordinarily experienced in rais¬ 
ing those of the common duck. 
Travelers assert that these birds, in their wild 
state, perch on large trees that border rivers and 
marshes, similar to terrestial birds; they build 
their nests there, and as soon as their ducklings 
are hatched, the mother takes them, one by one, 
and drops them into the water. They are as shy 
as our wild ducks, and they can be shot only by 
approaching them with the greatest caution. 
They are of various colors, but commonly 
black, variegated with other colors. They are 
also clear white, slate-blue, and light yellow. 
The white are considered prettiest, and their 
flesh the most delicate. The black are deemed 
the hardiest, the most productive, and to yield 
the finest flavored flesh. 
Their figure is of an extraordinary character, 
and the shortness of their legs increases their 
stumpy appearance. The duck has considerable 
powers (tf flight, but her mate’s heavier bulk re¬ 
tards his aerial wanderings. Contrary to the usual 
habits ofthis genus, the top of a wall or the branch¬ 
es of a low tree are favorite resting places. If 
allowed to spend the night in the hen-house, the 
female will generally go to roost by the side of 
the hens, but the drake is too heavy and clumsy 
to mount thither with ease, and thus they are 
certainly less aquatic in their habits than the 
other species, though equally disposed to cultivate 
a familiar intercourse with man. 
v {ipringside, Sept. 1860. C. N. BEMENT. 
r •■r gy .c rr . mgya i am 
Fig. 1.—Ceraphron Triticum, magnified. The cross lines 
on the right show the natural size. 
Microscopic Views of the Insect World. VI. 
BY MRS. CHARLOTTE TAYLOR. 
REPRESENTATIVE ICHNEUMONS OR 
PARASITIC INSECTS. 
The Ceraphron Triticum belongs to the division 
of Hymenoptera, thefifth family of Ichneumonidae, 
the Bethylus of Latreille and Fabricius. Latreille 
designates this family “ Pupivora,” signifying 
“ I devour,” from its being produced in the pupa; 
of other insects. Mr. Say described one of this 
family (the ceraphron destructor) in the Journal 
ofthe Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadel¬ 
phia, in 1817, which Dr. Harris styles the Eury- 
toma destructor. This fly does not correspond 
with the above, therefore I have named it ‘‘Tri¬ 
ticum,” from the botanical name of wheat. It is 
not of such an intensely shining black as Mr. 
Say’s fly, but is rather rusty in appearance, from 
a few hairs scattered over its body. In some 
specimens, when very fresh, the legs have a bright 
tinge of yellow. The antenna; ( b , fig. 2), are 
termed setigerous (having the basal joints large) 
and the last four globular, the intermediate one 
finished with four long bristles resembling 
plumes. This is a very sure mark for distinguish- 
Fig. 2.-6, One of the antennae.—e, Pupa of the Hessian 
Fly containing the Ceraphron. 
ing this family according to European classifica¬ 
tion. The eyes are large in proportion, the palpi 
three jointed. The lore wings have sub-margin¬ 
al cells, with a faint nervure running to the apex. 
The under wings have a long nervure running 
through, and two smaller ones descending to the 
inferior region ; these are so very slight, that you 
can only see their existence by a deeper shade of 
the wings in a strong light, but are evidently 
nervures, indistinct as they are. The ovipositor 
is retractile, and tubular. This fly deposites her 
eggs in the pupa of the Hessian fly. She pierces 
through the sheath of the leaf under which the pu¬ 
pa is laid—the egg soon hatches, and becomes a 
very minute maggot, which feeds on the interior 
of the pupa, and when ready, forms a very min¬ 
ute chrysalis in which it remains, still in the in¬ 
terior, forcing its way out eventually when an 
Imago, or perfect insect as represented ate,(fig. 2. 
The maggot, as you may suppose, is very minute 
—it has no marks worth specifying. It has hith¬ 
erto been impossible to obtain the chrysalis, for 
as the maggot devours the whole interior of the 
pupa, it becomes very dry and brittle, crumbling 
to pieces under the needle, so that only portions 
remain, which yield no result. This fly can be 
found in every wheat field throughout the coun¬ 
try, from Spring until Autumn. The last depos¬ 
it remains over through the Winter in the pupa 
case of the Hessian fly, and is ready to render 
us its invaluable services as soon as cur enemy 
is prepared to receive it. It usually appears most 
numerous before sun-rise, as the leaves are then 
more yielding, being wet with dew. 
The next, (fig. 3), is a singular insect, very small, 
yet larger than its prey. It belongs to the division 
of Hymenoptera, according to Latreille—and to 
the genus Cryptus of Fabricius from which it has 
been separated by Gravenhorst, constituting now 
his subgenus Pezomachus. This insect is apte¬ 
rous (wingless,) the thorax divided into two nodes, 
/, /> (fig- 3) ; the abdomen with a curved pedun¬ 
cle, g ; antenme filiform, with forty joints ; 
Fig. 3.—Pezomachus Thripites. /,/, Nodes, g, Peduncle 
palpi six jointed. The ovipisitor is not very 
conspicuous, as it is retractile, and defended on 
each side with several strong bristles, which give 
it the appearance of being larger than it really is. 
If you will take a strong magnifier, and hunt in 
the flowers of the wheat for the little Insects, 
Thrips, you can hot fail of finding some of these 
tiny friends. They resemble black ants, shaded 
with dark grey, for which I mistook them at first. 
You will remark how very still this usually 
jumping, skipping fraternity is—look closer and 
you will perceive they are hanging by their heads, 
apparently dead. In time, out will scramble this 
beneficient fairy, stretching herself in a sunbeam, 
and as soon as she is dry she hunts around for 
a mate, and hastens to confer her favors upon 
us. She deposites her eggs in the larvae ofthe 
Thrips. Each egg soon becomes a very minute 
maggot, which devours the interior of the Thrips’ 
larva; at its leisure, and in which it undergoes its 
transformations. They are found busy among the 
Thrips as long as they remain, emerging from 
Fig. 4.—Larva ofthe Thrips with the insect emerging 
the dead carcases as perfect insects, y, (fig. 4,) 
and running about “seeking whom they may 
devour.” From analogy I am inclined to believe 
the last brood adopts the same plan of passing 
the Winter as the Cryptus, belonging to some 
species of spiders which descend in the larva 
state into the ground, constructing a tough leath¬ 
ery cocoon for a Winter's residence, of which a 
