SPATULA.— ANAS. 265 



Genus SPATULA. 

 Spaiiila=a. small flat instrument, anything broad like a spoon, spatha. 

 Bill much dilated. Lamellee very fine, closely set, and projecting. 



302. Spatula clypeata. The Shoveller. 



Clypiata—axmeA with a shield, clypeus or clipeus ; from its white shield-like gorget. 



Tidari, Punana, N.W.P.; Alipat, Sind; Kanak-aurdak, Yarkand. 



(? 19" to 22". ? 18" to 19". Legs orange. Bill brownish. Head, back, 

 rump, upper and lower tail brown, glossed green. Scapulars black, with broad 

 white stripe along the middle. Lesser coverts grey. Speculum bright green. 

 Upper breast white, lower breast and abdomen chestnut. Male assumes plumage 

 of female in summer. — Female: Dark brown, edged whitish. Northern Hemi- 

 sphere between lat. 10° and lat. 68° N. A winter visitor to India, Ceylon, and 

 Burma. Seven to nine eggs (2-0 x 1-5), greenish buffi On 4.11.75, the Mohanas 

 in Sind had their fowling nets all ready, but said that the Ducks would not arrive 

 in any number till the next full moon (November 13th). (J. 957. B. 1602.) 



Also S. rhynchotis. 22". Legs yellow. Bill purplish. Head and neck bluish grey. Crown, 

 base of bill, and chin black. White band between base of bill and eye, extending to the throat. 

 Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. 



S. plataka. 20". Legs yellow. Bill blackish. General plumage reddish, spotted black. 

 S. America. 



S. capensis. 20" to 21". Legs yellow. Bill red-brown. Mantle and above brown, with 

 narrow wave lines. Below grey-brown, thickly mottled. Speculum dark green. Scapulars 

 dark blue, with no white on central parts. S. Africa. 



Also the genus Malacorhynchus. With spatulate bill and a soft membrane on the sides 

 near the tip. One species. 



M. membramaceus. 17". Legs brownish green. Bill greyish blue. Crown brown. Sides 

 of head and chin white. Brown eye-patch, with an oblong mark of rose-pink behind it. 

 Australia and Tasmania. 



Genus ANAS. 

 i^iTa=a duck, from viu)=io swim. 



Bill not so deep as wide, of nearly uniform width. Lamellae short. Nostrils 

 near base of bill. Metallic speculum formed by the outer webs of the secondary 

 quills. Fifth remex wanting. Tail rather pointed, of eighteen to twenty feathers. 

 Tarsus shielded in front. Hind toe with small, narrow lobe. Cosmopolitan. 



303. Anas boscas. Thb Mallard or Common "Wild Duck. 

 Nilsir, India; Lilgah, Nepal; Niroji, Sind; Sabz-zurdan, Cdhul; Sun, Ywrkavd, 

 $ 22J" to 24"; 2J to 4 lbs. $ 20" to 21J"; 2 to 2| lbs. Legs orange. Bill 

 yellowish, nail black. Head emerald-green. White neck-ring. Chestnut gorget. 

 Speculum Prussian blue, bordered black above and white below. Back vermiculated 

 white and brown. Four central tail-feathers glossed purple and curled. Tail of 

 twenty feathers. To avoid calling a drake a duck, the name of Wild Duck was 

 dropped in favour of Mallard, which simply means Drake. After the breeding 

 season the drake moults in June into female plumage. When the body-moult is 

 complete, the bird loses its quiUs, and is for a time unable to fly. The ordinary 

 male plumage is reassumed by a second moult in September. "20th August. 



