THE SHELDRAKE AND WILD-DUCK 321 



being still used to convey that meaning. Saunders 

 also states that 'the prefix "sheld" is given by 

 Ray as an East- Anglian equivalent for "parti- 

 coloured."' 



The sheldrake is, as are most of the varieties 

 to which I shall have occasion to refer, plenti- 

 ful on the coasts of Norfolk, Lincolnshire, etc., 

 though by no means infrequently to be met 

 with on the other coasts of Britain which are of 

 a similar character and adapted to its require- 

 ments. It is an excessively handsome bird. 

 Its plumage is as follows : Head and neck green ; 

 lower part of neck and upper breast white, forming 

 a collar ; lower breast and shoulders chestnut ; 

 wings white, green, and black ; under parts white, 

 a dark brown line traversing the breast and belly ; 

 legs and feet flesh-coloured ; the bill flesh-coloured, 

 as is also a fleshy knob at its base. 



The wild-duck is so familiar to everyone as to 

 need no description either as to its size, plumage, 

 or habits. Suffice it to say that it is thickly and 

 generally distributed throughout Great Britain and 

 Ireland. A very great difference exists in the 

 plumage of the male and female of most of the 

 varieties of the Anatidae, the males being, as a 

 rule, far more gaily clad than the females, this 

 being probably a provision of the Creator to guard 

 the females from molestation during the breeding 

 season. It may possibly interest the reader to 

 know, if he is unaware of the fact, that, smart as 

 is the mallard during the rest of the year (probably 



21 



