136 BIRDS 



female is a somber brown, with dark beak. This bird is 

 indifferent to cold and lives well in confinement. 



The Sheldrakes, as a group, are intermediate between 

 ducks and geese. They are birds of comparatively large 

 size, and spend much time in grazing, after the fashion of 

 geese. All of the species are exceedingly quarrelsome dur- 

 ing the breeding season, and must be watched closely to 

 prevent their killing weaker birds. 



The Ruddy Sheldrake (Casarca casarca) is the best 

 known species. Both sexes are bright rufous in general 

 color, the male usually being distinguishable by his larger 

 size and a black ring about the neck. It is a hardy species 

 and not affected by cold. It has been bred frequently in 

 America. 



The Paradise or Variegated Sheldrake (Casarca 

 variegata) , of New Zealand, is not common in captivity in 

 this country. The male is handsomely colored, with black 

 head and neck, gray back, black tail, chestnut breast and 

 white wing coverts. The female is somewhat similar, but 

 has the head and neck pure white. This species breeds 

 freely in European collections, but is exceedingly pug- 

 nacious. 



The Common European Sheldrake (Tadorna tadorna) 

 is a strikingly handsome bird, the sexes being marked alike 

 with contrasting patches of green, chestnut and white. Un- 

 fortunately, it is an exceedingly difficult bird to establish 

 in captivity, and cannot be induced to live for long in this 

 country. 



Geese 



The geese in general are even easier than ducks to keep 

 in health. Water is less essential for their needs, the chief 

 requirement being grazing ground. Geese of most species 

 spend more time on land than afloat, and in summer will 



