THE SHOVELER 309 



powerful, swift and well sustained. As to its 

 qualities as a table bird it is among the best. 



With us it is a very uncommon visitor, par- 

 ticularly in the northern New England States, 

 like many another of the duck tribe, thinking 

 but little of our territory. The most of them 

 choose the western and southern parts of our 

 country for their homes. Have known of a 

 small flock being killed in the limits of the city 

 of Portland, Me., in the salt water, another on 

 one of the outer chain of islands on our coast, 

 and to these must be added the specimens from 

 which our drawing was made, shot on the Fal- 

 mouth shore near Portland, in the waters of 

 Casco Bay, and which are now in my collection ; 

 apparently this is the total for a period of ten 

 years. In the beauty of their plumage, bril- 

 liancy and perfection of their coloring these 

 last two are the equals of any specimens which 

 I have seen in any collection. I do not think 

 it will average one Shoveler a year that is 

 taken in this locality, otherwise a good duck 

 country. 



The Shovelers breed throughout their range, 

 in the New World from the central United 

 States over the prairies to the Saskatchewan, 



