Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-06-11
THE INDIAN RUNNER DUCK.
Facts About the Newly introduced Egg
Factory.


(By Mrs. d. o. Teasley, Anderson.
Ind, In Poultry Success.)
In this article ! propose to set down
in a few words the principal points
that people ought to know about the
Indian Runner Duck.
The Name and Origin.
They are called the Indian" be-
cause they came originally from In
dia, and Runners" because they do
not waddle like the ordinary duck.
but literally "run." 1t was first re-
ported that the Indian Runner Is q
native Of the West Indies, but the
most plausible story has 1t that the
Indian Runner is native OF India.
They were discovered, 1t Is said, by an
English sea captain, who. attracted
by their lively movement and upright
carriage, and by the stories OF their
wonderful egg production, captured
them and took them to England.
Though some of the stories concern
ing the Indian Runners origin sound
considerably like fables Of the east.
there may be, after all, some truth In
them. At any rate, it seems con-
elusive that the Indian Runner Is a
native of India, and not Of the West
India Islands.
A Brief History.
The history of the Indian Runner
In England has been traced back, with
more or less distinctness, for period
of eighty years. After going back
about forty years, however, the history
becomes somewhat hazy. About the
only definite knowledge we have Is
that they were first known to Britain
in County Cumberland, in the north
of England. They are now bred ex-
clusively in the British Isles. j. w.
Walton, secretary Of the Indian Run
ner Duck club Of England, Is proba-
bly, the most extensive English breeder
we'll known to Americans. About fif-
teen years ago the Indian Runner was
imported from England to this coun-
try. Here it was bred by but few un-
til about 1904 Of 1905, since which
time It has been constantly growing In
favor.
There Are Three Varieties.
To the fancier there are three va
rieties of the Indian Runner duck
the English Penciled, the American
Standard Light Fawn and White, and
the Pure White. Each of these varie-
ties has its fanciers, and each fancier
thinks the particular variety he fan
cies "the only pebble on the beach,
To the unbiased mind Of those VINO
know all varieties, however. there ID
little difference except in color.
The English Penciled variety was
undoubtedly the first and original
Indian Runner. Because Of this fact,
some of the breeders who breed only
the English ducks have exalted the
Penciled duck and debased the Light
Fawn and White and the pure White
ducks by calling the two latter worth
less mongrels. Breeders of the Ameri-
can standard and pure white DUCKS
have retorted that the English penciled
duck Is the old, unimproved variety,
and. therefore, inferior to the Ameri-
can standard and White Indian Run
ners The face is that what is most
fancy is almost wholly dependent up
on who Is the fancier. 1t may be-
therefore, that most Of the difference
in the three varieties Of Indian Rum
ner ducks made by some breeders Is
due to their personal fancy rather
than to any real difference in the
fowls.
Type and Carriage.
One of the most prominent differ
ences in the Indian Runners and the
ordinary duck Is their erect, almost
vertical carriage. Instead Of carrying
their bodies in an almost horizontal
position, as do other ducks, they carry
themselves erect. A flock Of Indian
Runners when alert or on the run,
very much resemble the wild penguin.
The regular penciling Of the. English
bird, the soft, even fawn Of the Ameri-
can standard duck, and the crystal
white of the pure white variety are
all beautiful in the extreme.
Habits.
The Indian Runner is an excellent
forager. While the ordinary duck is
waddling around the feeding pen eat
ing great quantities of feed that you
must buy and pay for, the Indian Run