20 DUCK SHOOTING. 



with a soft, sensitive membrane or skin, and ends at 

 the tip in a horny process which is termed the nail. 

 From this fact the family is sometimes called Ungui- 

 rostres, or nail-beaked. 



The body is short and stout, the neck usually long ; 

 the feet and legs are short. The wings are moderately 

 long and stout, giving power of rapid and long-con- 

 tinued flight. There are various anatomical character- 

 istics, most of which need not be considered here. 



One of these, however, is common to so many spe- 

 cies, and is so frequently inquired about by sportsmen, 

 that it may be briefly mentioned. In the male of most 

 ducks the windpipe just above the bronchial tubes on 

 the left side is expanded to form a bony, bulb- 

 ous enlargement, called the labyrinth. Except in one 

 or two species the female does not possess this enlarge- 

 ment, and there are some of the sea ducks (Fiili- 

 gulince) in which it is not found. The labyrinth 

 varies greatly in different species. In some it is round 

 and comparatively simple, in others large and in- 

 stead of being more or less cylindrical in shape it has 

 the form of a long three-cornered box. The labyrinth 

 has been stated to have relation to the voice of the bird, 

 but what this relation is has yet to be proved. 



In addition to the labyrinth, some species of ducks 

 have an enlargement of the windpipe near the throat, 

 and the swans have the windpipe curiously coiled with- 

 in the breast bone. 



The plumage of these birds is well adapted for pro- 

 tection against wet and cold. All possess large oil 



