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Book about the Indian Runner
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The
Indian Runner Duck - A Historical Guide
Hardback book, stitched, printed on good quality
coated paper; 202 pages. Over 100 black&white illustrations and
photographs. Eight page colour section. A collection of documents and
information going back to the 1830s, some not previously available in print.
How
to buy it £16.00 plus p&p
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More
pictures of Runner Ducks |
Indian Runner Ducks
The
Indian Runner is a unique duck. However, crossed with other
breeds, the Indian Runner produced nearly all the Light Duck
breeds, which have a lower carriage than the true Runner. There
are now nine standard colours of Runner in the UK, and several
more in Australia and Germany. The Bali is a Crested Runner but is
judged separately from the Runners themselves because the crest is
an important additional criterion in judging.
Conventional colours are Black, Chocolate, Cumberland Blue, Fawn,
Fawn-&-white (pencilled and American), Mallard, Trout and
White. Some of these colours are more stable and easy to breed
than others. The Fawn, Fawn-&-white, and the White were the
original colours.
History
Conventionally
known as the 'Indian' Runner, its origin was finally pinned down by
Walton (1909) to the East Indies, though the Dutch probably knew
this much earlier because of the connection of the Dutch East India
Company with Batavia (Jakata) in Java.
Runners have a fascinating and controversial history. First imported
into Britain in about 1835, and existing in the Earl of Derby's
collection, they became more famous in Cumbria and Dumfries. The
Cumbrian Runners were described, imported, bred and exhibited by a
succession of enthusiasts such as Donald, Digby, Walton and Smith.
The purists fought hard to champion their pure breed against the
utility brigade, who labelled the pure Runner the 'Penguin
monstrosity'.
Blue Indian Runner - beautiful to look at, but an
unstable,
heterozygous colour. Like all blue ducks,
Blue Runners also breed
Black and splashed.
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Bali Duck
Pair of Trout Runners
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