THE SHOVELER 189 



THE GADWALL 



ANAS STREPERA 



Head and neck light grey, speckled with brown ; back and breast dark grey, 

 the feathers ending in crescent-shaped whitish lines; belly white, speckled 

 with brown ; small wing-coverts and tip of the wing chestnut ; greater 

 coverts, rump, and tail-coverts black ; speculum white ; bill black ; irides 

 brown ; feet orange. Female less distinctly marked. Length twenty 

 inches. Eggs buffy white, tinged with green. 



This species of Duck now breeds in Norfolk and Suffolk. Its food 

 and habits closely resemble those of the other Ducks ; it is active, 

 and both swims and flies rapidly, preferring fresh-water lakes to 

 the sea, and resorting principally to such pieces of water as afford 

 it ready concealment. Meyer states that when flocks of Gadwalls 

 ' fly about, they keep close together in a ball, but not in a line, and 

 may therefore be very soon distinguished from the common wild 

 Duck'. By day they mostly swim about in the open water, and 

 come near the shore to feed in the evening. They breed in the great 

 northern marshes of both hemispheres. The Gadwall is a surface 

 feeder and not a diving duck. 



THE SHOVELER 



SPATULA CLYPEATA 



Head and neck glossy green ; breast pure white ; belly and flanks chestnut ; 

 back brown ; lesser wing-coverts pale blue ; scapulars white, speckled 

 and spotted with black ; speculum brilliant green ; bill lead colour ; 

 irides yellow ; feet reddish orange. Female — head pale reddish brown, 

 streaked with dusky ; upper plumage dusky brown, edged with reddish 

 white ; under plumage reddish with large brown spots ; the blue and 

 green of the wings less bright. Length twenty inches. Eggs greenish 

 buff. 



The Shoveler is well distinguished among all the British Ducks 

 by the form and structure of its bill, which in old birds is dilated 

 near the extremity into a form approaching that of a spoon, and is 

 furnished with a fringe of slender lamellae, resembling a comb. To- 

 wards the end of the bill these are not conspicuous as long as the 

 mouth of the bird is closed, but along the narrower part they are 

 prominent under all circumstances. So singular an apparatus 

 obviously indicates that the habit of the Shoveler is to sift water 

 and mud for the sake of securing the insects and worms which 

 they contain. It resorts, therefore, to the margins of fresh-water 

 lakes, ponds, and ditches, and is rarely seen at sea, nor does it ever 

 dive after its food in deep water, but frequently comes to land in 

 quest of slugs, snails, and worms. It is met with from time to time 



