﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  I97 
  

  

  Young 
  and 
  eclipse 
  drakes: 
  Found 
  in 
  all 
  stages 
  from 
  that 
  resembling 
  the 
  

   female 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  plumage 
  figured 
  b}^ 
  Mr 
  Fuertes 
  in 
  plate 
  14. 
  

  

  Length 
  17-21 
  inches; 
  extent 
  30-34; 
  wing 
  9-10; 
  tail 
  3; 
  bill 
  2.65-2.75; 
  

   tarsus 
  1.3— 
  1.36. 
  

  

  The 
  Shoveler, 
  Spoon-bill, 
  or 
  Spoon-bill 
  teal, 
  is 
  rare 
  on 
  Long 
  Island, 
  

   and 
  in 
  eastern 
  New 
  York, 
  but 
  fairly 
  common 
  as 
  a 
  migrant 
  in 
  western 
  New 
  

   York, 
  arriving 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  from 
  the 
  15 
  th 
  of 
  March 
  to 
  the 
  5th 
  of 
  April 
  

   and 
  passing 
  north 
  from 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  April 
  to 
  the 
  12th 
  of 
  May. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  

   taken 
  on 
  Long 
  Island 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  February 
  12th 
  and 
  may 
  pass 
  the 
  winter 
  

   rarely 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  In 
  the 
  fall 
  it 
  arrives 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  

   the 
  15th 
  of 
  September 
  to 
  the 
  30th 
  and 
  leaves 
  for 
  the 
  south 
  October 
  15th 
  

   to 
  November 
  loth. 
  In 
  habits 
  the 
  Shoveler 
  resembles 
  the 
  Pintail, 
  pre- 
  

   ferring 
  the 
  marshes, 
  shallows 
  and 
  flooded 
  lands, 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  

   aquatic 
  plants, 
  snails 
  and 
  insects. 
  Its 
  cry, 
  according 
  to 
  some, 
  resembles 
  

   the 
  syllables 
  took, 
  took, 
  or 
  may 
  be 
  compared 
  to 
  the 
  sound 
  of 
  a 
  rattle 
  turned 
  

   by 
  short 
  jerks. 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  holarctic 
  in 
  range, 
  but 
  does 
  not 
  usually 
  breed 
  

   nearer 
  to 
  us 
  than 
  the 
  St 
  Clair 
  flats 
  and 
  is 
  most 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  

   America 
  along 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  valley, 
  nesting 
  principally 
  from 
  Iowa, 
  

   Colorado 
  and 
  northern 
  California 
  northward 
  to 
  central 
  British 
  Columbia 
  

   and 
  the 
  Saskatchewan, 
  and 
  rarely 
  to 
  Ft 
  Anderson 
  and 
  Kotzebue 
  sound. 
  

   Several 
  years 
  ago 
  a 
  Shoveler 
  reared 
  her 
  brood 
  on 
  the 
  Montezuma 
  marshes, 
  

   near 
  the 
  residence 
  of 
  Mr 
  Foster 
  Parker, 
  who 
  saw 
  the 
  old 
  bird 
  come 
  from 
  

   the 
  nest 
  and 
  occasionally 
  saw 
  her 
  with 
  her 
  brood 
  until 
  they 
  were 
  grown. 
  

   This 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  definite 
  breeding 
  record 
  for 
  the 
  State. 
  The 
  Shoveler 
  

   is 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  West 
  during 
  migration 
  and 
  winters 
  from 
  Maryland 
  and 
  

   Missouri 
  southward 
  to 
  Panama. 
  

  

  Dafila 
  acuta 
  (Linnaeus) 
  

   Pintail 
  

  

  Plate 
  15 
  

  

  Anas 
  acuta 
  Linnaeus. 
  Syst. 
  Nat. 
  Ed. 
  10. 
  1758. 
  i: 
  126 
  

  

  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  341, 
  fig. 
  244 
  

   Dafila 
  acuta 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  143 
  

  

  da'fila, 
  no 
  meaning 
  known; 
  acii'ta, 
  Lat., 
  sharp, 
  acute, 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  tail 
  

  

  Description. 
  Male: 
  Head 
  and 
  upper 
  neck 
  rich 
  brown 
  turning 
  to 
  black 
  

   on 
  the 
  nape 
  and 
  glossed 
  with 
  green 
  and 
  reddish 
  bronze 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  