98 ANATID.E 



coarse grass or among other vegetation tall enough to 

 conceal the sitting bird ; in some cases the cover is but 

 scanty. The nest is made of grass and lined with down, 

 and is usually placed near the water's edge, frequently along 

 the shore of an inland lake. The eggs, of which eight to 

 fourteen form the clutch, are pale greenish, turning to pale 

 yellow as incubation advances. 



This Duck is increasing in our Isles as a nesting-species. 

 It has been found breeding in the following counties : 



England : Cumberland, Northumberland, Durham, 

 Yorkshire, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Kent, Dorset, Notting- 

 hamshire and Staffordshire. 



Scotland : Haddington, Elgin, Kirkcudbrightshire, Dum- 

 bartonshire, in the counties between the Forth and the Tay, 

 northward to Sutherland, the Orkneys, and on Tiree, one of 

 the Inner Hebrides (Saunders). 



Ireland : In this country the Shoveler appears to be 

 increasing not only as a breeding- species but also as a 

 winter-visitor. It has nested, or has been met with in the 

 nesting-season, in the following counties : Kerry, Cork, 

 Waterford, Clare, Wexford, Queen's Co., King's Co., West- 

 meath, Dublin, Louth, Galway, Koscommon, Mayo, Sligo, 

 Fermanagh, Monagban, Tyrone, Antrim, Donegal (Ussher). 



Geographical distribution. Abroad, it breeds over the 

 greater part of Europe, North Africa, Temperate Asia 

 and North America. Its winter range extends to South 

 Africa, India, China, Japan, Central America and Australia. 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. Head and upper neck, 

 glossy-green; lower neck and scapulars, white; wing-coverts, 

 pale blue ; alar speculum glossy-green, separated from the 

 blue by a narrow white band ; primaries, chiefly dark brown ; 

 feathers of back, brown with lighter margins ; rump, tail, 

 and its coverts, blackish ; breast and abdomen, rich chest- 

 nut, flanks, speckled reddish-brown ; lower abdomen, white. 



Adult male, post-nuptial or eclipse. Somewhat resembles 

 the female, but the bright blue of the wing is retained and the 

 general plumage is of a warmer brown. 



Adult female nuptial. Head, neck, and back mottled with 

 dark and light brown ; wing-coverts, dull bluish ; speculum, 

 much less glossy than that of the male ; breast and abdomen, 

 pale brown. 



