220 



RIVER AND POND DUCKS 



by both husbands is astounding or, depending on the point of view, 

 commendable. Polyandry is also practised to some extent by the 

 Mallards, but the males of that species apparently have more Christian 

 ideas on the subject and object strongly; jealousy flares between the 

 marital partners, leading to constant domestic brawls and nasty physical 

 encounters. Perhaps the Shoveller's view of the matter is the wiser, for 

 after all, life is short, especially that of a much hunted waterfowl. So 

 why quarrel? Dismissing the moral aspect and returning to the facts 

 of the case, it is interesting to note that it is not until after two adult 

 Shovellers have paired that the second husband comes along. He is 

 usually a young drake of the previous year with incomplete plumage, 

 who has probably found that the young females of his own generation 

 have gone off by themselves and do not intend to pair until next season, 

 as is generally the case with this species. 



The nest of the Shoveller is a hollow in the ground sparingly lined 

 with dry grass and weeds and surrounded with a rim of down, the 

 supply of which is increased as incubation proceeds, until a blanket has 

 been formed with which to cover the eggs when the duck leaves her 

 nest. The location is variable and the nest may be a long way from 

 water, though preference seems to be given to a site in the rank grass 

 around the boggy edges of sloughs and ponds. The usual clutch is from 

 10 to 12 eggs, though the numbers range from 6 to 14; they are very pale 

 olive buff or very pale greenish grey in colour and average 2.05 by 1.46 

 inches. Incubation continues for 21 to 23 days and is performed by the 

 female alone upon whom the responsibility of raising the family also 

 devolves. As soon as incubation is well started the males gather in flocks 

 by themselves in the nearby sloughs and ponds and shake from their 

 shoulders (scapulars!) all family cares. When first hatched, young Shovel- 

 lers have bills no larger than those of other Surface-feeding Ducks but 

 the bills seems to grow considerably faster than the little birds them- 

 selves, so that by the time the ducklings are 

 about ten days old there is no mistaking 

 them for the young of any other species. 



The Shoveller springs vertically from wa- 

 ter or land with a strong upward bound and 

 a loud rattling of the wings, and darts off with 

 a swift, erratic flight, punctuated with sudden 

 downward plunges. The flight is much like 

 that of the teals and, like them, the Shoveller 

 decoys readily and has the habit of circling 

 and returning to the decoys even after being 

 shot at. This strong, sturdy little flier is one 

 of the few ducks that brave the long 2,000 

 mile flight from Alaska to the Hawaiian Is- 

 lands. As a game bird it does not rank very 

 high; the majority of specimens are thin and 

 scrawny and the flesh is of poor quality. Oc- 

 casionally, however, due no doubt to special 



