CHAP, xviii THE SHELDRAKE 163 



food, which consists of shell-fish, the sea-worms, etc. Their 

 manner of catching the latter is curious. When the sheldrake 

 perceives that he is above the hole of one of these insects, 

 which he knows by the worm-casts similar to those of a common 

 earth-worm, he begins patting the ground with his feet, dancing 

 as it were over the hole. This motion on the sands generally 

 brings the worm out of his abode. My tame sheldrakes, when 

 they come to ask for food, pat the ground in an impatient and 

 rapid manner, their natural instinct evidently suggesting this 

 as the usual way of procuring food. Though among the most 

 wary of birds when wild, their sharp eye detecting the least 

 movement, yet they become extremely fearless and bold when 

 once domesticated, and certainly no bird is more ornamental. 

 They breed freely in a tame state, if allowed a certain degree 

 of liberty, and I have no doubt would be quite as good eating 

 as a common duck when fed on corn and clean food. In their 

 wild state they have a rank, fishy flavour, but so would any duck 

 that lived on the same food as they do. My tame birds eat 

 anything, and will take their food out of my hand without the 

 least hesitation. They are pugnacious creatures, and the drakes 

 are always the masters of the poultry-yard, pursuing the other 

 bird3 with a peculiar croaking quack. The sheldrakes breed 

 in old rabbit-holes, laying their eggs several feet under ground. 

 When I am on the sandhills in May, early in the morning, I 

 frequently see their tracks in and out of the holes. It is curious 

 to watch the male bird standing and strutting in the sun on 

 some hillock waiting for the female, who is emplc^yed in her 

 domestic duties under ground. When she appears, the drake 

 goes to her, and after a short flirtation they fly away together 

 to the sea-shore. When the hen is sitting, she leaves the nest 

 during the time of low water, appearing to have an instinctive 

 knowledge of when that time arrives, as it is the part of the 

 day in which she can most quickly procure her food. This 

 done, she returns to her nest, and after wheeling several times 

 over it to see that nothing is amiss, she alights and walks to her 

 hole. The sheldrake has a quick, smart step, quite unlike the 

 waddling gait of most ducks. When hatched, the young take 

 at once to the sea, and never seem to leave it or the sand-banks 

 till their plumage is complete. I have occasionally found a 

 large flock of young birds nearly full grown on the sands, but 



