46o 



The Living Animals of the World 



The nest is composed externally of seaweed, and lined with down, which is plucked by 

 the female from her breast as incubation proceeds, till eventually it compiletely conceals the 

 eggs. Each nest yields about one-sixth of a pound, and is worth, on the spot, from twelve to 

 fifteen shillings a pound. 



The Pochards, Scaups, Goldex-eyes, and Scoteks are relatives of the eider-duck ; 

 but since all resemlile the latter in their general mode of life, we need not consider 

 them here. 



The Merganseks and Smews, to which reference has been made, differ markedly from all 

 the ducks so far considered in the peculiar formation of the bill, which is relatively long and 

 narrow, with its edges armed with sharp, tooth-like processes i)rojecting backwards towards the 

 back of the mouth. These processes are really only horny spines, and have no relation to 



VIioUj bu U II I s ,1 I I urd] 



CAPE BARREN GOOSE. 

 Ttiis bird is u native of South-east Australia and Tasmania, and lemarkalile for its short beali. 



\_Wohv:ni Abbci/. 



mg slippery prey, such as fish, which 



teeth, although they are used, as teeth would be, for holding si 

 form the greater part of the diet of these birds. 



So far, in all the ducks whicli we have considered, the male differs conspicuously from the 

 female in plumage ; but in the forms we are now about to describe both sexes are coloured alike. 



The first is the Common Sheldrake, which seems to lie somewhere on the borderland 

 between the Ducks and the Geese. It is a very beautiful bird, conspicuously marked with 

 broad bands of orange-chestnut, white, and black. The beak being coral-red in colour, and 

 further ornamented by a p>eculiar fleshy knob at its base, serves to set off the glossy bottle- 

 green colour of the head and neck. As appears to be invariably the case where both sexes 

 are cohjured alike, the female builds her nest in a hole, generally a rabbit-burrow, whilst 

 the young have a distinct livery, duller in tone than that of the parent. The female 

 sheldrake breeds in Britain, and may be frequently seen at sea flying in small parties, which 

 have been likened to a flock of butterflies. 



