THE SHOVELLER AND TEAL 323 



Wild-duck they are, and wild they must be in 

 order to thrive as they should. 



The shoveller, although it has the right to be 

 styled one of our resident birds by reason of a 

 certain number of the variety remaining in this 

 country to breed, may also be classed as a visitant 

 during the colder months of winter. It breeds 

 principally in Lincolnshire and Norfolk, and is 

 also to be met with in the Scottish Lowlands as 

 well as in some parts of Ireland. 



The plumage is thus described by Colonel Irby : 

 4 Head and neck green ; shoulders pale blue ; iris 

 yellow.' Length, twenty inches. The male bird, 

 like the mallard, assumes the plumage of the female 

 during the summer, viz., a dark brown. The shape 

 of the bill is peculiar, its width at the tip being 

 double that at the base. 



The teal is almost as well known in Britain as 

 the wild-duck, and, although not as numerous, is 

 very plentiful throughout the winter, many birds 

 also remaining to breed in the Northern counties 

 of England, as well as in Scotland and Wales. 

 It is unnecessary for me to describe the plumage 

 of a bird with which everyone is so well acquainted. 

 The plumage of the male bird undergoes a similar 

 transformation to that of the female, as in the case 

 of the wild-duck. 



Although belonging to the Anatidae, the mer- 

 ganser can hardly be regarded as a true duck. 

 Its bill, instead of being flat like those of the true 

 ducks, is longer, more pointed, slightly turned 



