=History.=--Call ducks are bantams, and are bred more for the fancy than for the profit there is in them for market. There are two kinds of Call ducks, the Gray Call and the White Call (fig. 7), and it is only a choice of plumage as to which is the better of the two. They are both of one character as to size, shape, and habits, and differ only as regards color. The Gray Call is very similar in color of plumage to the Rouen, and is indeed called by many the Bantam Rouen, and the White is generally called the Bantam Pekin. Their uses are only for the showroom, or as decoy ducks for wild-duck shooting. For the latter purpose they are sometimes crossed with the common "puddle duck" or with the wild Mallard. This latter cross is considered excellent, the progeny being distinguished for tameness and domesticity. =Description.=--When breeding Call ducks, smallness of size is the first consideration; the smaller they are bred the better. The arts of skillful breeding for the showroom are being used in keeping down the size of these ducks. Inbreeding has been resorted to, while late hatching, scanty feeding, and nonbone-making food have been the means that have retarded their natural development. The head of the Call duck is full and round; bill, short and broad; neck of medium length, and back comparatively short; the breast is round and full, and body short, round, and compact, with medium-sized wings; the thighs are short and stout, and shanks short. The Gray Call drake is a beautiful little bird, with a rich, lustrous green head, dark-hazel or brown eyes, lustrous green neck, with a white ring on the lower part of neck, as in the Rouen. The back is of ashy-gray plumage mixed with green on the upper part, while the lower part and rump are a rich, lustrous green. The under part of the body on the sides is a beautiful gray, which grows lighter toward the vent, and ends in solid black under the tail. The wings are grayish brown, mixed with green, and have the broad ribbon-like mark of rich purple with metallic reflections of green and blue, distinctly edged with white. The primaries are a dark, dusky brown. The tail feathers are of a dark, ashy brown, the outer web in old birds being edged with white; the tail coverts are black, with very rich purple reflections. The bill is greenish yellow in color, while the shanks, toes, and webs are orange, with a brownish tinge.