The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-08-27
ELDER DUCKS.
How They Are Raised for Profit on
the Farms of Iceland.
Chicago Record

chicago Record.
In the recesses and holes and cavities be-
tween the hummocks OF Iceland the elder
ducks may be seen sitting on their nests
OF these there are several scores, and the
birds themselves when sitting are perfectly
tame, some of them even alIo wing a strap
ger to stroke them with the hand. They
are not all Matched at the same time, and
many are still in the egg when others are
hatched and swimming about in the sea.
The drake. as is so frequently the case
with the male bird. is a handsome. snowy
creature, with much white in his plumage
He is excessively shy and wary, while the
female, whose plumage is brown and
glossy, Is, on the contrary, tame and con-
fiding.
The duck lays from five to six eggs at the
beginning of June, and it is no unusual
thing to find from ten to sixteen eggs in
one nest, together with two females, W no
sit either at intervals. or, If necessary,
DOth at the same time, and strange to say,
seem to agree remarkably well with one
another. The period of laying lasts some
six or seven weeks, and the birds are in
the habit Of laying three times in different
places. From the first and second of these
both the down and eggs are taken away,
but from the last IL IL is very seldom that
the farmer removes either Should he do
so with any degree of persistency the birds
would desert the locality, and he is not
such fool as to destroy the duck with
the golden eggs.
In soma cases the owner resides on OF
near the farm. In this particular instance
he visits the island from the mainland once
week at least. So soon as he and his
men arrive at the nest they carefully re-
move the female and take away the super
nunus down and eggs. The duck immedi-
ateiy begins to lay afresh, and covers her
eggs with new down, winch she plucks
from her own breast. Ii the supply is it,
adequate the male comes TO her assistance
and helps to cover the eggs with his down.
T5i5 being white is easily distinguished
from the brown covering which the female
supplies. and is not so good in quality.
The nest is now. as Il general rule, left
until the young ones are Matched. There
Is not much callowness and helplessness
about these youngsters. About an hour
after they are out OF the shell they Quit
the nest together, when it Is once more
seaweed down and grass down. The lat
ter is generally considered TO be the best
in quality. The down is very valuable
and fetches from 81 10 So pound.
The three takes of down vary consider
ably in quality. the first being superior to
the second and the second TO the third.
The birds themselves, apart from their
o''iuE 20 poSitACo, o. W AitSic tdiuc.
The down taken from Gead elder ducks Is
valueless, as 1t has lost all of its marvel
Gus elasticity.
An elder duck farmer is excessively
proud of his ducks AMI regards them with
Intense and peculiar affection. The owner
81 the farm JUST described was in the habit
OF saying that he would rather lose one OF
his children than one of his ducks, but to
any one who had seen both this statemen,
would seem to have had but little compare
tive value.