40<S COMMON SHELD-DUCK. 



portions the representative species in summer is the Ruddy Sheld- 

 Duck. In the interior of Europe it is only of accidental occurrence ; 

 but it is a resident in the basins of the Black and Caspian Seas, 

 and is found on the salt-lakes of the temperate — or the elevated — 

 districts of Asia as far as Japan ; while its winter-range extends 

 southward to the tropic of Cancer. 



The nest, made of bents with a lining of fine soft down, is placed 

 at distances varying from a few to ten or twelve feet inside a rabbit- 

 burrow — whence the name ' Burrow-Duck,' or at the end of a 

 tunnel (made by the bird) which occasionally forms a nearly complete 

 circle ; but sometimes it is in holes in bridges^ or among rocks 

 near high-water mark, and, exceptionally, in a very dense covert of 

 furze. The eggs, laid in May, are of a smooth creamy-white, and 

 measure about 275 by I'gin. In the Frisian Islands artificial bur- 

 rows are made by the natives, the eggs being taken up to June i8th, 

 after which the birds are allowed to sit. Incubation lasts from 

 twenty-eight to thirty days, and when the young are hatched they 

 follow their parents, being sometimes carried by the female on her 

 back to the water. The feeding-grounds are mussel-scalps and 

 sandy shores, where the bird obtains minute bivalves and univalves, 

 sand-hoppers, marine insects &c., with sea-weed; but in captivity 

 grain, soaked bread, and vegetables are eaten. The note of the 

 male is a shrill whistle, but tlie female, which is far more noisy, 

 utters a harsh bark, sometimes followed by several distinct quacks. 

 The flesh is dark in colour and unpleasant in smell and flavour. In 

 confinement the natural habits of this species must be consulted, or 

 else it will not breed readily. The prefix ' Sheld ' is given by Ray 

 (1674) as an East Anglian equivalent for particoloured. 



The adult male has the beak and basal knob bright red ; head 

 and upper neck dark glossy-green, followed by a white collar, below 

 which is a rich chestnut band ; wing-coverts white ; speculum green ; 

 scapulars, part of the secondaries and the primaries nearly black ; 

 rump, upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers white, the latter tipped with 

 black ; lower central line of the breast and belly dark brown, the 

 rest of the under parts white ; legs, feet and webs flesh-pink. Length 

 24-26 in. ; wing 13 in. The female is rather smaller, duller in 

 colour, and has no knob at the base of the bill. The young bird 

 has the head and neck brown ; face, neck, wing-coverts and all the 

 under parts white ; inner secondaries white, edged with chestnut, 

 and with little green on the speculum ; beak flesh-colour ; legs and 

 feet livid lead-colour. 



