SPATULA. DAFILA. 173 



Genus SPATULA Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 564. 

 Type : S. clypeata (Linn.). 

 Spatula = anything broad like a spoon, spatJia (referring to the bill). 



Spatula clypeata, SHOVELER. 



Anas Clypeata Linnams, Syst. Nat. 1758, p. 124 : 

 Sweden. 



Spatula clypeata (Linn.} ; B. 0. IT. List, 1st eel. 1883, p. 128; 

 Salvadori, Cat. Birds B. M. xxvii. 1895, p. 308 ; Saundert, 

 Manual, 2nd ed. 1899, p. 427. 



CJi/peaia^armed with a shield, clypeus or clipeus : from the white shield- 

 like gorget. 



Distribution in tlie British Islands. A Resident, breeding in 

 many parts, its numbers having greatly increased since 1876. 

 In autumn and winter it is more generally distributed and 

 much more numerous. 



General Distribution. The Shoveler inhabits the northern 

 Hemisphere, and its breeding-range is circumpolar. In the 

 False irctic region it is seldom found nesting north of the 

 Arctic Circle, but extends from thence southwards to north 

 Africa, and is said to be resident in the Abyssinian highlands. 

 In North America it breeds from Alaska southwards to the 

 southern United States. In winter it ranges to the Canary 

 Islands, Senegambia, Somaliland, and has been incorrectly 

 recorded from the Cape; also to Arabia, India, Ceylon, 

 south China, Formosa, and the Hawaiian Islands. In 

 America it winters in the West Indies, Panama, and 

 Colombia, and has been recorded from Newfoundland and 

 the Berm-udas. 



Genus DAFILA Stephens, Gen. Zool. xii. 1824 ; pt. 2, 



p. 126. 



Type : D. acuta (Linn.). 

 Dafila, apparently an invented word of no meaning. 



