rst
twenty-four hours, and do little else but brood underneath the hen,
though little patches of brown and yellow with a bright eye here and
there form a fascinating picture for any passer-by.

The first food given should be a little fine wild duck meal, scalded in
the usual way, and put on a _shallow_ plate outside the coop, and inside
the small wire run attached to the coop. To start with, a little food
may be scattered over the grass inside the coops to attract the little
birds to their meal; they should, however, be taught to feed as soon as
possible outside for the sake of cleanliness.

It is most important at this early stage that the food be not of too
sloppy a nature, otherwise the birds soon get in a terrible state, and
absolutely coated with their food. This always leads to their heads,
eyes, and often their backs becoming sticky, and in the end spells a big
death roll. Very little water, and that pond water, should be given
during the early stages; the colder the weather the less they ought to
have to drink, and it is often a good plan to take the chill off what
little is given them. Don't forget to give the hens food and water twice
a day.

A busy time is now before the keeper, or whoever is responsible for the
feeding.

The earliest meal should be given at about 4 A.M. or as soon as it is
light, and then regularly throughout the day, every four hours.

Be careful to feed more frequently during inclement weather, and move
the coops prior to feeding.

The ducklings are now fairly started on their journey, and before
following them I propose to describe the method to be adopted in the
case of ducks sitting on their own eggs. Visit the sitting birds pretty
regularly, so that they lose their shyness on seeing you, and when the
birds have been sitting twenty-five days, go in the early morning and
late in the evening to satisfy yourself that the eggs have not hatched.

An experienced eye can generally tell, by the unusually elevated
appearance of the duck on her nest, when she has hatched, and sometimes
by creeping quietly forward the little birds may be heard chirping,
though they instantly cease on receiving a warning from their mother.

Should you have doubt as to the hatching having taken place, a blunted
stick put under her breast will generally reveal the state of affairs,
and if she knows you the old bird will not mind this.

Directly it is ascertained that the brood is dry enough, the old bird
s