GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL. 359 



Habits. — The Sheldrake is a thorough bird of the coast, and 

 only under exceptional circumstances frequents inland waters, and 

 only then when they are salt. Although it is a resident with us 

 in all the colder portions of its range, it is a bird of passage, 

 drawing south in October, and retiring north again in March. 

 Its numbers are consequently increased in our islands during 

 winter. In India it arrives later in autumn, during the latter half 

 of November, and appears to linger longer in spring, till nearly 

 the middle of April, probably because at its breeding grounds in 

 Mongolia and South Siberia the summer is much later than in 

 Europe. The Sheldrake prefers sandy coasts to mud-flats, and 

 low beaches and dunes are its favourite resorts. It is ever a shy 

 and wary bird, difficult to approach, and usually takes alarm 

 before any other Wild Fowl that may by chance be in its vicinity. 

 At all times the Sheldrake is a rather sociable bird, but never 

 appears to congregate into very large flocks, being usually met 

 with in small parties or scattered pairs. It changes its ground a 

 good deal according to season, and in winter visits many parts of 

 the coast where it is entirely absent in the breeding season. The 

 flight of the Sheldrake is regular and straightforward, not per- 

 formed with rapid beats like that of the typical Ducks, but with 

 slow and measured strokes, which lend the bird's movements 

 a laboured appearance, more apparent than real. The flight is 

 seldom taken very high, usually close to the water, and is often 

 considerably prolonged ; but when on migration, the bird rises 

 much higher. The food of this species consists of grass, and the 

 stems and leaves of various plants growing in or near the water ; 

 of insects, crustaceans, worms, mollusks, and small fish. The 

 young, in their downy stage of existence, feed almost exclusively 

 on sand-hoppers, which they are very expert at catching, even 

 shortly after they are hatched. None of this food is obtained by 

 diving, but whilst the bird is wandering about the shore, paddling 

 in the shallows, or swimming in water just deep enough to allow 

 it to reach the bottom when the fore part of the body is sub- 

 merged, and the hind quarters are held almost perpendicular. 

 The Sheldrake swims well and lightly, and on land walks more 

 elegantly than the typical Ducks. It seldom wanders far from 

 the water, but occasionally visits the pastures close to its haunts, 



