140 



Bnfisli Birds. 



The Shoveller. 



THE MALLARD. 

 (Anas boscas.) 



head, a chestnut breast, and 



bluish grey wing-coverts, and 



green wing - speculum. The 



female is ver}' different from 



the male, and is a browner bird. 



The Shoveller breeds sparingly 



in England and Scotland, and 



in several of the Irish counties, 



and is also found nesting through- 

 out the temperate regions of Eu- 

 rope, Asia and North America. 



It is a fresh-water species, but 



in winter is found in maritime 



harbours and marshes. The nest 



is made of grass and lined with 



down, and is placed in a tussock of grass or heath. The eggs are five or six 



in number, and are pale-buffish or greenish-white ; they measure about two or 



two-and-a-quarter inches in length. 



This well-known bird, also generally known as the Wild 

 Duck, is a fresh-water species, and is the most plentiful of all 

 the British Ducks, breeding in every part of Great Britain. 



It nests throughout the temperate regions of Europe and Asia, as well as in North 



America, and it comes south in winter in large numbers. The nesting-place is 



variously chosen. Sometimes 

 many pairs will form their nests 

 on the ground in the high grass 

 near a lake, while not unfre- 

 quentl}' the nest will be found 

 lar away from water in the 

 hole (it a tree, or under the 

 roots of some old oak or even 

 in a hollow where the branches 

 join the stem. The nest is 

 made of grass or rushes, some- 

 times of straw, and is plen- 

 tifully lined with the bird's own 

 down. The eggs are from ten 

 to twelve in number, greenish 

 or greenish-white in colour ; 

 their length is a little over two 

 The Mallard. inches. 



