THE SHOVELLEE. 



245 



somewhat in the form of a small spoon. This bird is really 

 charming in the brilliancy of its plumage. Its head and neck are 

 of a bright green, and its wings are variegated with streaks of a 

 brilliant pale blue, green, white, and black. It is called " red " 

 because its plumage underneath is of a brownish-red hue. In the 

 month of February it abandons the icy regions of the north, to 

 visit the more southern lakes and rivers of France and Germany. 

 With us it is only a straggler, although in former days, when om- 

 system of drainage was less perfect, it was a more frequent visitor. 

 In France considerable numbers of the Shovellers remain and breed. 

 It dwells in marshes, on lakes and large rivers, being seldom 



Fig. 92.— The Shoveller (A7ias clypeata). 



found near the sea-coast ; feeding occasionally on vegetable sub- 

 stances, but chiefly on fresh- water mollusks, worms, and insects, 

 for grubbing up which, and separating them from the sand and 

 mud, its bill is evidently well adapted. 



The Shoveller is met with in various parts of Europe, as 

 well as in Asia, Africa, and America, where it is found widely 

 dispersed. The nest is constructed on the borders of rushy lakes, 

 and they lay from eight to twelve eggs. When first hatched, 

 the young ones are excessively ugly, their beaks being almost 

 as large as their bodies. The flesh of the Shoveller is tender 

 and delicate, and preserves its pink colour even after it is cooked. 



