146 WILD FOWL SUOOTING. 
the duck tribe, a tiller of the soil, a granger ; and nature 
had furnished it with never-failing tools. The little teal, 
with its fire-shovel of a bill ; the canvas-back with its 
spade ; the mallard with its common shovels; were all 
insignificant in the rice beds, when compared to the 
scoop-shovel of the spoonbill, or shoveler. When it 
comes to digging in the mud, it is the section boss of 
the swamps, and all the rest of the ducks swim or 
waddle to one side when one of these little fellows gets 
his every day clothes on, and scoops and shovels among 
the roots and tender grass. They recognize him as an 
artist in this line, and accord him a fair field, but no 
favor. He has no competitors for speed and displace- 
ment of soil, for they all know full well, that they are 
mere infants with wooden spoons compared with him, 
when he brings into active operations that post-borer 
of a bill, propelled by such expert motive power. 
The shoveler duck frequents marshy places, and is 
readily decoyed and easily killed. Their flight is swift, 
usually huddled together, and many may be killed at 
one discharge of the gun. When frightened, they 
spring from the marsh perpendicularly like the pin- 
tail. No. 6 or T shot are the proper size to use. 
Anas Clypeata. The Blue-winged Shoveler is twenty 
inches long, and two feet six inches inextent. The bill 
is brownish black, three inches in length, greatly wid- 
ened near the extremity, closely pectinated on the 
sides, and furnished with a nail on the tip of each 
mandible ; irides, bright orange ; tongue, large and 
fleshy ; the inside of the upper and the outside of the 
