24G 



DUCKS, GEESE, SWANS, AND PELICANS. 



TtiE Shieldrake. 



E:>fGLiSH Synonyms. — Burrow Sliielduck : McGillivray. Shieldrake : Mon- 

 tagu, Selby, Jenyns. Popular names : Skeldrake, Skelgoose, SkieUBg 

 Goose, Burrow Duck, St. George's Duck, Stookannet. 



Latin" Synonyms. — Anas tadorna: Linn., Latham, Temminck. Tadorna 

 vulpanser : Selby, Bonaparte, McGillivray. 



French Synonym. — Canard Tadorne. 



This very beautiful bird is a permanent resident in the British 

 Islands, although it is only met sparingly along our coasts. It 



Fi;2. 93. — The Shieldrake {Aims tadorna). 



resorts in spring and summer to the sandy bays on the "n-est coast 

 of England and Scotland, from the Land's End to the Shetland 

 Islands. In autumn and winter it is found on the eastern coast 

 both of Scotland and England, where many individuals remain 

 to breed. It is generallj^ found in the neighbourhood of sandy, 

 marshy land and moist meadows near the sea. It walks with 

 a quickish step, and has a swift flight, something like the Mallard, 

 and with a more rapid beat of the wings than the Goose. 



The Shieldrake (Fig. 93) is the most remarkable of all the 



