SHOVELLER. 557 



flakes of down are not so large as those of the Mallard and Pintail, but not 

 quite so small as those of the Garganey, Teal, and Long-tailed Duck. 



Incubation is said by Naumann to last from twenty-two to twenty-three 

 days. Four weeks after the young are hatched they are able to fly. 

 Whilst they are young the female attends to them very closely, and defends 

 them bravely from danger. 



In its winter-quarters in North-west India the Shoveller is described 

 by Hume as a very tame bird, frequenting every little village pond where 

 the natives wash their clothes and drive their cattle to drink. They are 

 almost as tame as domestic Ducks, when closely approached merely 

 waddling into the water and swimming slowly from shore. They seldom 

 rise until fired at, and then often never attempt to leave the pond, but 

 alight again after flying round several times. Being almost omnivorous in 

 its diet, it often frequents the most dirty water, staying as long as any 

 liquid mud or filth remains. They are never seen in large flocks, always in 

 pairs or small parties. They rarely visit deep water by choice, but love to 

 paddle about in the shallows with their broad bill working from side to side 

 sifting the mud in search of food, and with head and neck under water. 



The Shoveller is about the size of the Wigeon, being larger than the 

 Garganey, but not nearly so large as the Mallard ; it may always be 

 recognized, even in young in first plumage, by its spoon-shaped bill, which 

 is twice as wide near the tip as it is at the base. The principal charac- 

 teristics of the fully adult male in nuptial dress are as follows : It agrees 

 with the Mallard in having the head and neck black, with green and purple 

 reflections ; across the upper breast is a broad white band, which does not 

 quite meet on the back of the neck, but extends down the scapulars, the 

 longest of which are margined with glossy green, and the middle ones on the 

 outer web with slaty blue, which is the colour of the lesser and median 

 wing-coverts, characters found also in the Garganey. The back is brown, 

 glossed with purple and green on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; the alar 

 speculum is metallic green, emphasized by the white tips of the greater 

 wing-coverts ; the underparts below the white chest-band are brownish 

 chestnut, shading into white below the vent, and into black glossed with 

 green on the under tail-coverts. Bill slaty black ; legs and feet orange- 

 red ; irides yellow. The general colour of the upper parts of the adult 

 female is brown, each feather with a broad buff margin, which is nearly 

 obsolete on the rump ; the wings resemble those of the adult male, except 

 that the blue on the shoulder is very dull and the speculum is not so glossy. 

 The general colour of the underparts is chestnut-buff, spotted with brown 

 on the breast, flanks, and under tail-coverts. In the female in first plumage 

 there are only traces of blue on the wing-coverts, and scarcely any lustre 

 on the speculum. The male in first plumage scarcely differs from the 

 female in colour, except that the blue on the wing-coverts and the metallic 



