COMMON SHELLDRAKE. 145 



the natives find it to employ to decoy tliem from the neigh- 

 bourhood of its nest : it frequently feigns lameness, and 

 "waddles away with one wing trailing on the ground, thus in- 

 ducing a pursuit of itself, till, judging its young to be safe 

 from discovery, it suddenly takes flight, and leaves the out- 

 witted Orcadian gaping with surprise," 



Mr. Dann tells me this beautiful duck appears early in 

 May in great numbers on the Swedish coast, where they 

 breed ; and that they are found on the west coast of Nor- 

 way, as high as Drontheim, in small numbers. 



It is found both in the northern and western countries of 

 Europe, on the borders of the sea. M. Temminck says it is 

 abundant in Holland, on the coasts of France, and occasion- 

 ally visits the rivers of Germany. M. Savi includes it in his 

 Birds of Italy ; and Keith Abbot, Esq. sent the Zoological 

 Society specimens from Trebizond. M. Temminck says this 

 species is found in Japan. 



In the adult male the beak is vermilion ; the irides 

 brown ; the whole of the head and upper part of the neck 

 green, bounded by a collar of white, and below that a collar 

 of rich chestnut, which covers the upper part of the breast, 

 the space before the point of the wings, and the upper part 

 of the back ; the rest of the back, the rump, and upper tail- 

 coverts white ; scapulars and part of the tertials nearly black ; 

 the longest tertials with the outer webs rich chestnut ; point 

 of the wing and all the wing-coverts white ; primaries very 

 dark brown ; the speculum of the secondaries green ; tail-fea- 

 thers white, tipped with black ; lower central line of the breast 

 and belly rich dark brown ; sides, flanks, vent, and under tail- 

 coverts white ; legs, toes, and their membranes flesh colour. 



Whole length twenty-four to twenty-six inches. From 

 the carpal joint to the end of the wing thirteen inches ; the 

 second quill-feather the longest. The female is rather smaller 

 than the male, and not quite so bright in her colours. 



A^OL. III. li 



