THE SHELLDRAKE. . " 



On examination of the gizzards of nine birds killed in Bel- 

 fast Bay, Strangford Lough, and Dundrum Bay, in winter wea- 

 ther of all kinds, and in the mouths of March, April, and July, 

 I found them all to contain a number of minute univalve shells, 

 in addition to which was only sand or gravel. A few of them 

 from the two first-named localities were entirely filled with Palu- 

 dina muriatica, Lam., a most abundant species. Although they 

 exliibited " shell-fish" only, food of various kinds — vegetable and 

 animal — was abundant where they were obtained. The tenth 

 individual— shot in BeKast Bay, in February 1849, during mild 

 weather — had its stomach wholly filled with minute mollusca, Mon- 

 taciita purpurea"^ (in profusion), Skenea depressa, and Falndina 

 muriatica (few of these). Its crop was full of the two former 

 species, chiefly of very small Skenea ; it alone containing not less 

 than nine thousand of these shell-fish. The stomach produced still 

 more, so that 20,000 of these minute mollusca were estimated to 

 be in the bird at the same time.f To give an idea of their size, 

 the Skenea is about that of clover-seed, or one-eighteenth of an inch 

 in diameter ; the Montacuta, when large, is one-twelfth of an inch 

 broad. The bird was very fat, as might be expected from such 

 nutritious diet ; — the same on which the grey mullet {JSIugil 

 clielo) attains a great size in this bay. 



From the evident partiality of the species for such food, I had 

 naturally imagined that it was originally called *S/^e//- drake, 

 and that Shiel-iS.fsk.Q would turn out to be an unmeaning corrup- 

 tion. The latter term is often quoted froui AVillughby, though 

 " Sheldrake" is his orthography ; J and he tells us that " they 

 are called Sheldrakes because they are particoloured" (p. 363), 

 Mr. Yarrell suggests that " the term Shield-drake may have had 

 its origin in the frequent use made of this bird in heraldry. § 

 Willughby's may, however, be the correct version, when we 

 tliink of the red-breasted merganser and the goosander, birds 



* Mija jmrpurea, Mont. 



t L'ive hiiiulred were reclconed by Mr. Darragh (Curator of the Belfast Museuin) 

 and myself, and the remainder carefully divided into portions of similar size. 



+ Edition 1678. § Vol. iii. p. \V^. 



