RUDDY SHELDRAKE. 525 



congener. North of the Spanish peninsula, the valley of the Danube, 

 and South Russia it is only known as an accidental visitor to Germany, 

 Denmark, and Sweden. It is a resident in the basins of the Mediterranean 

 and Black Seas, and frequents the lakes and rivers of Northern Africa, 

 but principally as a winter visitor. East of the Ural Mountains it breeds 

 throughout Persia, Turkestan, and Southern Siberia, but not further north 

 than Lake Baikal and the valley of the Amoor. It may possibly breed in 

 Japan, and is a regular summer visitor to Mongolia, but is only known to 

 winter in China, Burma, and India, in all which countries it is said to be 

 very common. It has no ally with which it is likely to be confused. 



Although the Ruddy Sheldrake is a resident in Europe, in Asia it is a 

 migratory bird. It arrives at its breeding-grounds in South Siberia during 

 the last three weeks of April, and migrates southwards again from the 

 middle of August to the middle of September. Unlike the Common 

 Sheldrake, this species prefers fresh to salt water, and is rarely seen upon 

 the coast; it is also more of a land-bird than its congener, frequently 

 grazing on young grass and corn near the water's edge, and sometimes 

 visiting the inland pastures in the company of Geese. It is especially fond 

 of rivers where there are broad reed-beds and numerous sand-banks. On 

 the Danube it not only frequents the lagoons on the shores of the Black 

 Sea, but is often seen far inland on the tributaries of the great river. It 

 is a very gregarious bird during migration, but both in its breeding- and 

 winter-quarters it lives for the most part in somewhat isolated pairs, especi- 

 ally on the rivers, where every half-mile or so a fresh pair of birds may be 

 observed. 



The food of the Ruddy Sheldrake consists of water-insects of various 

 kinds, both land and freshwater mollusks, grass, and aquatic plants, with 

 occasionally a small fish or a young frog. It does not dive to procure its 

 food, but will do so in its efforts to escape if wounded. It is quite as wary 

 a bird as its congener, and its flight is very similar, reminding one more of 

 a Heron than of a Duck. 



The Ruddy Sheldrake sometimes breeds in a burrow, frequently in a 

 hollow tree or in a hole in a fallen log. Salvin found it breeding in 

 Algeria in the crevices of the cliffs. Canon Tristram obtained its nest in a 

 similar situation in Palestine; and Dybowsky took the eggs out of the 

 deserted nests of birds of prey. It is a somewhat early breeder. Dybowsky 

 found eggs in Dauria in the middle of May ; and on the Danube I have 

 seen the old birds swimming about with their young on the 30th of May. 

 The eggs, eight to sixteen in number, are creamy white in colour, and are 

 absolutely indistinguishable from those of the Common Sheldrake ; possibly 

 there may be a slight difference in the colour of the down. They vary ir 

 length from 278 to 2'6 inch, and in breadth from 2'0 to 1*7 inch. The 

 nests are frequently placed at a considerable distance from water, and it is 



