36o THE GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL 



and wanders to the turf amongst the dunes. As soon as the 

 young are reared, the broods and their parents frequently go out 

 to sea, only coming on shore to feed, but not always to sleep. 

 The call-note of the Sheldrake is a harsh quack ; in the pairing 

 season an oft-repeated, tremulous whistling or chirping note is 

 uttered, and when the young are abroad a hoarse korr or kurr is 

 heard. Hume states that, when surprised, both sexes utter a 

 whistle of alarm. 



Nidification. — The breeding grounds of the Sheldrake are 

 near the sea, either on the sandy coasts of the mainland or on 

 low islands. In our islands the birds gather at their breeding 

 places in March, but the eggs are usually laid during May ; in 

 other localities they are a little earlier or later according to cir- 

 cumstances. The Sheldrake pairs for life; at all seasons the 

 duck and drake may be observed in company, and in many cases 

 the old nesting site is tenanted yearly. This Duck cannot be 

 termed gregarious in the breeding season, and although many 

 pairs may nest within a small reach of the coast, each appears to 

 keep apart from the rest. The nest is usually placed at the end 

 of a burrow, especially a rabbit hole ; sometimes it is under rocks, 

 and has been known in a very dense furze thicket. The Sheldrake 

 may occasionally dig its own burrow, and it is then said to be 

 nearly circular, but I do not think that such is often the case, at 

 least in our islands. The nest is a simple one, and consists of a 

 little dry grass and an abundant lining of down from the bird. 

 The eggs are from six to twelve in number, but larger clutches are 

 on record, and in cases where they have been judiciously removed, 

 as many as thirty have been taken from a single nest. They are 

 creamy white in colour, smooth in texture, very brittle, and 

 possess considerable gloss. They measure on an average 27 

 inches in length by I'g inch in breadth. Down lavender-gray. 

 Incubation is performed by both male and female (but the latter 

 sits the most), and lasts about a month. The nest is very 

 difficult to find unless the birds are watched at morning and 

 evening when the sitting bird is relieved by its mate. The male 

 is seldom seen near the nest, and both birds are remarkably 

 cautious when leaving or approaching it. Only one brood is 



