12 ANATINiE. 



secondary quills are highly coloured, with silky or metallic 

 lustre, forming a patch named the speculum, or wing-spot. 

 Toward the end of summer, the males assume the plumage of 

 the females, but in autumn resume their proper colours. 

 During the breeding season, the males generally continue 

 with the females. The nest is placed on the ground, or in 

 holes ; rarely on trees. The eggs are numerous, white, 

 greenish, or of some uniform light tint. The young, covered 

 with stiffish doAvn, are active from the first, and presently 

 betake themselves to the water, where they swim and dive 

 with the greatest agility. 



Representatives of this family occur in all climates. They 

 frequent marshes, wet places, lakes, and rivers, procure a 

 great part of their food by reaching at it under the water, but 

 seldom dive, unless in sport, or to elude their enemies. Their 

 flesh is esteemed as food, and generally has a high flavour. 



SYNOPSIS OF TEE BRITISH GENERA AND SPECIES. 



GENUS I. TADORNA. SHTELDUCK. 



Bill as long as the head, higher than broad at the base, 

 gradually depressed, considerably rearcuate, and becoming a 

 little broader toward the end, which is rounded ; upper man- 

 dible with the ridge flattened at the base, on which there is 

 generally a fleshy knob, the unguis oblong, rather abruptly 

 bent downwards and inwards, the sides convex, at the base 

 nearly erect, the edges rearcuate, the lamellae thin, and not 

 appearing beyond the margin ; legs rather short, tibia bare 

 for a very short space ; tarsus compressed, with very small 

 anterior scutella ; inner toe much shorter than the outer, 

 which is nearly equal to the third ; interdigital membranes 

 full ; claws small, compressed, rather blunt ; feathers of the 

 head and upper neck short and silky ; wings with an obtuse 

 tubercle, broad, pointed, the second quill longest ; tail mode- 

 rate, nearly even, of fourteen weak rounded feathers. 



