18 JANUARY 



V 



Besides the widgeon, another surface-feeding duck, 



The the shoveller, has been attracted hither, 



Shoveller f or t h e fi rst t j me j n mv recollection, by 



the abundant diet. A little fleet of a dozen make 



the lake their winter headquarters, and the striking 



plumage of the male bird is a welcome ornament 



to the scene. They keep aloof from the restless 



widgeon and diving ducks, consorting chiefly with 



the mallard, which they resemble in many respects. 



The ungainly proportions of the shoveller (Anas 

 clypeata) is notable among a family of birds distin- 

 guished for elegance of form. The plumage of the 

 male bird is very showy, consisting of an arrange- 

 ment of rifle green, bright chestnut, black and slate- 

 colour, on a groundwork of swan white, in general 

 effect not unlike the colour-scheme of the sheldrake. 

 Those anglers who credit salmon with a fastidious 

 discrimination in colour set much store on the russet 

 thigh feathers of the male shoveller, which are held 

 essential to the right composition of the ' Britannia ' 

 fly. The female wears a modest garb, not differing 

 greatly from the mottled brown mantle of the female 

 wild duck. But in both sexes the effect is marred 

 by the bill, which is grotesquely long, broad, and 



