378 ANATIDiE. 



Shoveller, but without success, and the bird died in the 

 following winter. 



It inhabits marshes, lakes, rivers, and muddy shores, 

 selecting its food in shallow water, by the instrumentality 

 of the sensitive beak, the laminated sides of which being 

 abundantly supplied with nerves, enable it to retain the 

 nutritious and reject the useless. It feeds on some grasses 

 and other vegetables, with worms, aquatic and other insects, 

 even some that are winged ; whence Gesner's name Anas 

 muscaria. Vieillot says that one of its common names in 

 France is Canard gohe-mouclie ; it is also called Houget de 

 riviere. Shrimps have been found in its stomach ; and 

 Audubon states that in North America it feeds upon leeches, 

 small fishes, ground-worms, and snails. The flesh is tender, 

 juicy, and of good flavour. The excellence of the Canvas- 

 back Duck of America, as an article of food, is proverbial, 

 yet Audubon also says that no sportsman who is a judge 

 will ever go by a Shoveller to shoot a Canvas-back. 



In the adult male the beak is lead-colour, dilated on each 

 side towards the tip ; the irides yellow ; the whole of the 

 head and the upper part of the neck green ; lower part of 

 the neck, the interscapulars, scapulars, and some of the 

 tertials, white ; middle of the back dark brown, the feathers 

 having lighter- coloured margins ; the point of the wing, the 

 lesser wing-coverts, and outer web of some of the tertials, 

 pale blue ; greater vting-coverts white ; primaries dark 

 brown, almost black ; the secondaries the same, but the 

 speculum green ; rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail-feathers, 

 almost black ; breast, and all the belly rich chestnut-brown ; 

 thighs freckled with dark brown, on a ground of lighter 

 pale brown ; the vent white ; under tail-coverts black ; 

 legs, toes, and their membranes, reddish-orange ; the nails 

 black. 



The whole length is about twenty inches. From the 

 carpal joint to the end of the wing, ten inches ; the second 

 quill-feather the longest. 



Adult males in summer change the green colour of the 

 head and neck to brown, spotted with very dark brown ; 



