THE SHELDUCK AND THE 

 SURFACE-FEEDING DUCKS 1 



[ORDER : Anseriformes. SUBORDER : Anseres. FAMILY : Anatidce. 



SUBFAMILY: Anatince] 



PRELIMINARY CLASSIFIED NOTES 



[F. C. R. JOURDAIN. W. P. PYCRAFT. A. L. THOMSON] 



COMMON-SHELDUCK [Tadorna tadorna (Linnaeus); Tadorna 

 cornuta (S. G. Gmelin). Burrow-duck, bargander, bargoose, ladyfowl, 

 annet ; stock-annet (Scotland). French, tadorne ; German, Brandgans ; 

 Italian, volpoca]. 



I. Description. The adult sheldrake may always be distinguished by 

 the crimson beak and white plumage variegated with black and chesnut. 

 There is no marked seasonal change of coloration. Length 25 in. [635 mm.]. 

 (PI. 156.) The male is distinguished at once by the protuberance at the base 

 of the beak. The head and neck are black with metallic green sheen, the 

 rest of the plumage white relieved by a broad band of bright chesnut encircling 

 the body at the base of the neck, and a broad black band down the middle of the 

 breast. The scapulars and primaries are black and the tail is tipped with black, 

 and the sides of the under tail-coverts are pale chesnut. The speculum has 

 the outer half chesnut-red, the inner half steel-blue. The female lacks the pro- 

 tuberances at the base of the beak, and is slightly duller and smaller than the male. 

 The juvenile plumage recalls that of the adult, but the head and neck ate.-' #f- 

 dull grey-black, the chesnut band encircling the body, and the black band jio'w? 1 

 the breast and abdomen are wanting, and the beak is flesh-coloured, while the legs 

 and toes are of livid flesh colour. The young in down is white, with the crown, 



1 There can be no doubt that the existing systematic arrangement of the Ducks is very 

 unsatisfactory, but having regard to the fact that a thorough study of their structural 

 characters has yet to be attempted, it has been thought inadvisable in this work to depart 

 from the arrangement of the genera adopted by Howard Saunders. ED. 



VOL. IV. 2 B 



746317 



