liHi 



VERTEBKATA. 



THE SHOVELEK. 



in till' iniilst of ft qiiift plantation, from which six scniifirciilar canals are cut, which arc roofed 



'~-- over with hoops and covered in 



with netting. Into this vast 

 trap the ducks arc enticed by 

 young ducks trained for the pur- 

 pose. 



Genus ANAS : Anas. — To 

 this belongs the Common Wild 

 Duck or Mallard, A. hoschas^ 

 the original of all the domestic 

 varieties. It is twenty-four 

 inches long, and marked with 

 green, chestnut, and white. It 

 is an inhabitant of all the coun- 

 tries of Europe, especially to- 

 ward the north, and is also 

 abundant in North America. 

 Here it is migratory, passing to 

 tbe North in spring and return- 

 ing to the South in autumn. 

 It frequents the lakes of the interior as well as the sea-coasts. It is plentiful in Great Britain at 

 all seasons, merely quitting the more exposed situations at the approach of winter and taking 

 shelter in the valleys ; or, in case of a severe winter, visiting the estuaries. In a wild state, the 



mallard always pairs, and dur- 

 ing the period of incubation the 

 male, although he takes no part 

 in the process, always keeps in 

 the neighborhood of the female ; 

 and it is singular that half-bred 

 birds between the wild and tame 

 varieties always exhibit the same 

 habit, although the ordinary do- 

 mestic drakes are polygamous, 

 always endeavoring to get as 

 many wives as they can. 



The SiiovELER, A. c!>/pcata, 

 — called also Broad-Bill and 

 Spoon-Bill — is seventeen inches 

 long, and greatly prized for its 

 flesh ; it is also a very beautiful 

 species. It occasionally visits 

 the sea-coast, but is more commonly met with on lakes and rivers, particularly along their muddy 

 shores, where it spends a great part of its time in searching for worms, *tc. The female makes 

 her nest on the ground, with withered grass, usually in the midst of tufts of rushes, and lays , 

 from ten to twelve eggs. The young are said to be at first very unshapely, having most enor- 

 mous bills. The shoveler is found in Europe and America. 



The Gadwall or Gray Duck, A. strepera, is nineteen inches long, and is common to Europe 

 and America; very abundant in some countries; common in India. Its flesh is excellent. 

 Wilson says " it is a very quick diver, so as to make it difficult to be shot ; it flies also with great 

 rapidity, and ntters a note not unlike that of the mallard, but louder; is fond of salines and 

 ponds overgrown with reeds and rushes; feeds during the day, as well as in the morning and 

 evening." 



THE GADWALL. 



