THE SHOVELER. 143 



in the summer of 1868, and on the 8th of August, 

 1869^ I visited the meres on the heath for the first 

 time. Lang-mere then presented a fair sheet of water, 

 off" which from ten to fifteen couple of fowl rose, 

 startled by the noisy exit of turtle doves from some fir- 

 trees, under cover of which and a raised grassy mound, 

 I was attempting an undisturbed view. Duck and 

 mallard were alike in plumage in the autumnal 

 change, and cock shovelers would thus easily pass 

 unnoticed, but whilst these winged their way in the 

 direction of Mr. Birch's decoy, I got my glass to bear 

 upon several half-grown flappers and smaller nestlings, 

 being escorted by anxious mothers amongst the shel- 

 tering rushes. In one of these I recognised a hen 

 shove ler, whose nervous actions, evinced maternal soli- 

 citude in the most unmistakeable manner. On Foul- 

 mere and Ringmere, the only birds seen were, a pair 

 of teal and some coots on the former, and several little 

 grebes on the latter. Mr. Southwell has, however, 

 furnished me with the following graphic description of 

 a pair of shovelers, which he discovered on Foulmere 

 when visiting all the Wretham meres, on the 21th of 

 May, 1874: — "As I showed myself," he writes, "the 

 fowl left the water and the coots retired into the sedges, 

 but I noticed one drake shoveler still hangiiig about the 

 mere. As I walked round he changed his quarters so 

 as to be at a safe distance, but on approaching a par- 

 ticular spot he became more anxious and flew round and 

 round. At a patch of sedge and rushes a sallow inclined 

 over the water, and as soon as I put my foot on the 

 stem of the prostrate tree an old duck shoveler bustled 

 out of the green shelter in a great state of consternation 

 followed into the open water by several young ones. 

 They swam out and crossed the water to another patch 

 of vegetation, and as soon as they were safely under 

 cover the drake, which had been flying round all the time. 



