160 BIRDS OF THE HUMBER DISTRICT. 



than usually plentiful on the Humber and along the 

 Lincolnshire coast, when I saw as many as eight in 

 one day (mainly immature birds) which had been 

 shot along the Humber coast. In the stomach of 

 one was a quantity of fine sand, and many small 

 shells of the genus Buccinum. The muscular coat of 

 the stomach in this species is remarkably thick and 

 strong, and apparently capable of digesting any tough 

 morsel. 



209. ANAS CLYPEATA, Linnaeus. The Shoveller. 



The Shoveller is by no means a rare Duck in the 

 Humber district, as may be inferred from the fact 

 that between the years 1833-34 to 1867-68, 35 years, 

 285 were taken on the small decoy of Ashby-on-the- 

 Trent, North Lincolnshire. The largest number 

 captured in any one year was in the winter of 1860- 

 61, namely 34. These, however, represent only a 

 portion of the Shovellers visiting the Ashby pond 

 during that period, as many of the flocks would leave 

 again without entering the nets. In the winter of 

 1868-69 a flock of sixteen, principally males, fre- 

 quented the decoy waters for some days; and none of 

 these were captured. 



Mr. Boulton has had several specimens shot on the 

 river Hull, and says that it has occasionally been 

 known to breed amongst the sedgy and more retired 

 portion of that river, and would do so more frequently, 



