Duck.
(_Photographs from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of
Agriculture_.)]
_The White Call._ This variety is, both in type and color, practically a
miniature Pekin except for the short, rather broad head and bill.
They breed very true in color and should be free from creaminess. The
same general defects must be watched for and avoided as in the Pekin.
[Illustration: FIG. 9. Upper--White Call Duck. Lower--White Call Drake.
(_Photographs from the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of
Agriculture._)]
_The Black East India._ This is a black breed which is small in size
being a bantam duck like the Call. As a matter of fact it is a miniature
Cayuga. The color should be black throughout and the same color
characteristics hold true as in the case of the Cayuga. The same color
defects must therefore be guarded against, the worst one being white in
the breast of females especially. Avoid breeding from a drake with a
black bill as in this respect the breed differs from the Cayuga since
the bill of the duck should be black but that of the drake should be
very dark green. Purple barring must be carefully selected against.
_The Muscovy._ This breed differs in certain respects very markedly from
the other standard breeds of ducks. They are long and broad in body
which is carried in a horizontal position but are not so deep in keel as
the Pekin, Aylesbury or Rouen. The longest bodied young ducks will make
the largest individuals. The head should have feathers on the top which
can be elevated at will to form a crest. Guard against breeders having
smooth heads, or in other words, lacking a crest. The face is covered
with corrugations or caruncles and should be red in color. At the base
of the upper bill there is a sort of knob-like formation in the drake
which serves as one of the distinguishing characteristics between the
duck and drake of this breed. The more prominent the knob and the more
wrinkled or corrugated the face the better is the specimen in this
respect. The wings are long and strong and these birds fly very well.
They will also climb fences. The drakes are quite pugnacious and fight
one another badly at times. They are especially pugnacious when they
have young.
This breed of ducks will often roost on roosts like chickens or in the
trees or on the barn. They do not quack like other ducks and unlike
other domesticated breeds which moult two or three times a year, they
moult only once, taking longer to do so, usually about 90 day