BIRDS OF ICELAND 53 



two inches long : sometimes the green tinge disappears 

 by fading, but often a trace remains. The Gadwall 

 feeds on vegetable food, and is therefore never coarse 

 in flavour; but the ornithologist in Iceland is never 

 likely to get many chances of forming his own opinion 

 on this point. 



The Gadwall can be always recognised by its 

 marbled grey appearance, and the chestnut patch on 

 the wing formed by the median coverts, succeeded by 

 a white speculum. The chestnut patch is visible a 

 long way off. The length of the male is 20 to 

 21 inches, wing lO-J to 11 inches. The female is a 

 little smaller, and duskier in tints. The young are 

 very hard to distinguish from those of the Common 

 Wild Duck (A. boscas), but have a rather slenderer 

 bill, with a more decurved upper outline, and a 

 yellowish tinge on the throat and cheeks. 



I stated my opinion (Ibis, 1886, p. 49) that a nest- 

 ful of eggs with down which we found in 1885 would 

 prove to be those of the Shoveller. As the name of 

 this bird has, in consequence, got into print in con- 

 nection with Iceland, I will take this opportunity to 

 say that that opinion proved to be unfounded. AVe 

 never saw the bird, and it was only the look of this 

 nestful of eggs that led us to connect the Shoveller 

 with Iceland at all. 



