Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/566

* DUCK. 494 DUCK. is liichly esteemed for the table. By far the liandsuiiicst of America's river-ducks is the beau- tiful vo«k1 or suimiuT duck {.lix xpoiisa). de- scribed under Wood- Duck. Another species of the same genus, the mandiiriu duck (.lij galeri- IIILL8 or REPRE8ESTATIVB DrCK8. 1. Ruddy tlur]^ {/■Snsin;lturn rnhidii). from tho Ride, from above iiiid from lifl«»w. '2. Widjji-on (.Urtrcrw Atnorifitua), from below showing double pcctinatioiis. 3. Mallard (.4 Dns boticlias), trom the (*ule and from above. 4. Itufflehead {Cbaritonettn alheulu), from the side and from above. cula'd) of China, is still more remarkably adorned, though it is not perhaps any handsomer. Other well known river-ducks are the gadwalls, ■widgeons, shovelers, pintails, and teals, all of which are treated of in the proper places. Of the sea-ducks, perhaps liily or si.ty species are known, widel.v distributed in all parts of the world, of which two dozen occur in North Amer- ica, but eomparativelj' few in the Southern Hemisphere. .-Vs a rule they are not so good eat- ing as the river-ducks, as the flesh is so much coarser and is often rank. But there are some notable exceptions, such as the well-known can- vasback { [iilhi/a niUisncria), (q.v.), which is found in suitable localities and at the proper seasons throughout Nortli America. .llicd to these are the scaups (q.v.) and the ring-necked duck {Aiilhi/a collaris). which has a chestnut band around the black neck of the male. The 'old-s((uaw' (Clangiila hycmulia) is a very .strik- ing s|)i'eies, which breeds in .rctic regions and winters in the United States as far south as Virginia, and also in Europe and Asia. It is casil.v recognized by the greatly elongated middle pair of tail-feathers. A very interesting duck, now l)elievcd to be c.tinct. is the Labrador duck {C'aiiiplolwiiius I.iihradorius) . which foriiicily oc- curred on the North Atlantic coast as far south as Long Island. (See KxTixcT Animals.) The ruddy duck { ErisiiKilurn ruhida) is a small and interesting duck, abimt fifteen inches long, with the throat and back rufous chestnut and the breast and belly white. The most striking char- acteristic is the peculiar tail: the coverts are very phorl and the stilT ami pointed tail-feathers are bare to their bases. The ruddy duck is found from northern South. ierica northward to Iliid- Bon's Ba,v. and is chiefly migrator.v in the United States. Closely related to it is the curious masked duck ( omoii.i/x Oomiiiiri(.«) of tropical America, which is hardly more than a foot long. A very remarkable South . icrican duck is the so-called steamer-duck ( .Uirropfrru/i ciiicrfK*), the adult of which has lost the power of flight on account of the small size of the wings, but it is an expert swimmer, its movements are .so jieculiar, however, as to suggest a side-wheel steamer, whence the name. The so-called 'tree- ducks' of the warmer parts of America arc in reality geese, though the scientilic name of the genus, Dendrocygna, literally means "tree-swan.' Sec, also: Bifo.MmiLL: Golden -KvE; Eideh; Scoter; JIerganser, etc.: and other names of ducks: sec, also, for the capture of ducks. Decoy and Trapping; and for duck-shooting as a sport, see IIlntino. Domestic OrcKS. Ten standard breeds of do- mestic ducks are raised in the Inited States: The white Pekin, wliite Aylesbury, colored Kouen, black Ciiyuga. colored Muscovy, while .Muscovy, gray call, white call, black East Indian, and the crested white. Of these breeds the flrst six are considered prolitable to raise: the two breeds of calls and the black East Indian are bantams, and are bred more for the showroom: the crested white mav be considered as almost purely orna- mental. See Colored Plate of Di( Ks. The Pekin duck, which leads in popularity, was introduced from China since 1870. It is a distinct type. Both male and female of stamlard- breed specimens have a pure yellow bill, white or cream-white plumage, and lead-colored eyes. The neck of a Pekin should be gracefully curved: in the drake it should be large and rather long, while that of the duck is of medium length. The back is limg and broad: the breast round, full, and very prominent. The body is long and deep, and the standard for adult birds i> a body approaching in outline a ]iarallel(igram. The wings are short, carried closely and smoothly against the body. The tail is erect, more so than in an.v other breed. The curled feathers in the tail of the drakes are hard and stilT. These ducks are very large, some reaching as higli as twenty pounds to the pair. Their flesh is very delicate and free from grossness, and they are considered among the best of table fowls. They are excellent egg-layers, averaging from 100 to 1,'iO eggs each in a season. The white Aylesbury ducks are also popular for market purposes, es])ecially in England and the Continent of Europe. These ducks have white, soft plumage, a long wide bill of a pale flesh or pink- ish color: the slender neck is long and gracefully curved, and the body is long and oval. The other breeds ditTer more or less from the two mentii>ned above and are characterized by their form, color, size, etc. The colored Rouens and Muscovys have ornamental plumage. The Muscovy drake has a crest, as do also both male and female of the crested white duck. DitcK-rnising has been developed in the United States into a flourishing industry. Not many .vcars ago the duck was considewd an unjirofitable fowl to raise; its flesh was never jirized very highly by the masses. Ducks were raiseil with- out constraint in waterways, feeding mostly on flsli and water insects. This food gave the lle-sh a strong fishy flavor: hence it was not particularly Miuglit after. s;ive by the few who were' p;irlial to that cla>s of diet. When carefully fattcncil this flavor is not noticeable, .rtificial incubation and brooding, combined with judicious feeding, have been instrumental in the development of the in- dustry The season for raising ducks is about six months in length, i.e. from rcbruary t<i .Inly. The food of the duck is both animal and vegetable