COMMON SHELLDRAKE. 243 



have no notes; but in the season of 1841 there was a 

 fine and numerous show of young birds, from which tke 

 description of the plumage of the birds of the year in 

 their immature dress will be hereafter given. As observed 

 by Mr. Selby, the young birds soon become tolerably tame, 

 and answer to the call of the person who feeds them ; 

 when fully fledged, however, being very active, they are 

 apt to stray away, and if left unpinioned, generally in 

 time fly entirely off, though they have been known, in some 

 instances, to return after an absence of many months. 



Colonel Hawker, in reference to their habits, says, 

 " The young Shelldrakes, directly after being hatched in 

 the rabbit-burrows, are taken by the parent birds to the sea, 

 where they may be seen in what the boatmen call troops, 

 of from thirty to forty ; but as the female seldom hatches 

 more than fourteen eggs, it is clear that each flock is 

 formed by two or three broods. On their being approached, 

 the old ones fly away, and leave the young to shift for 

 themselves by diving. They may be easily shot when 

 they come up, but you can seldom kill more than one or 

 two at a time, as they always disperse before you can get 

 very near them. 



" These birds show but tame sport with a gun, and are 

 good for nothing when killed. But, in winter nights, 

 they often give you a fine shot on the mud, though they 

 are so white that you can seldom perceive them, even 

 afloat, without a good moon. Be prepared to fire directly 

 you rise ; as they, being very quick-sighted birds, will 

 give you but little time to present your gun. We had a 

 great many Burrow Ducks on our coast, Hampshire and 

 Dorsetshire, during the last hard winter. They were the 

 wildest of birds till half starved by the freezing of the 

 shell-fish, and then they became the tamest of all wild- 

 fowl. 



R 2 



