456 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. Xll. 



The Shoveller is to be met with at different times throughout the 

 whole of the Northern hemisphere, in till four Continents. Found over 

 practically the whole of Europe and Asia at the various seasons, it 

 extends in winter as far south as Somali land in Africa and in 

 America to the 18th degree latitude north, in the West Indies, and 

 even further south in Guatamala. 



The references made to its occurrence in Australia and South 

 America apply to allied species and not to the Common Shoveller. 



In India proper the Shoveller is a winter visitant to all parts from the 

 extreme north to the extreme south, but though it surely must occur 

 there at times it has not yet been recorded from Pegu and Tennasserim. 

 In Ceylon it is also fairly common, Legge writes : " This remarkable 

 and almost cosmopolitan Duck is a not unfrequent winter visitor to 

 Ceylon. 1 have not met with it myself, but Mr. G. Simpson informs 

 me that it comes in large numbers to Delft and the Palverainkados 

 and MuHaittiva lagoons, remaining during the same periods as the 

 Teal and Pintail." 



The Shoveller is not one of the earliest ducks to arrive, as a rule 

 it comes into the more northern portions of India in the latter end 

 of October or even early November and is later still in the southern 

 parts of its range. In Bengal I think few are seen until November ; 

 in Assam, especially in the extreme north-east, I have seen them in 

 October. It leaves, as well as arrives, later than many other ducks 

 and may often be met with in Cachar during April, and Hume says 

 that some remain in the Peshawar Valley until May and that in 

 Cashmir they remain until quite the end of that month. 



In the extreme north of its range and in the Himalayas it is only 

 seen whilst on migration during the months of late September and 

 October and early November and again in March and April as the 

 birds go north. In Kashmir, however, a good number pass the whole 

 winter. Adams says that it is found throughout the whole year there, 

 but this statement has never yet been confirmed. 



Although common over the major part of the country it visits, it 

 does not seem anywhere to be found in very large numbers and may 

 often be seen in pairs or even singly. I do not remember ever seeing 

 a flock which numbered over forty and should imagine such a flock 

 to be rare anywhere. 



