ORNAMENTAL WATERFOWL. 189 
fringe of bristles depending from the upper mandible acts as a 
strainer through which the water runs, while with its tongue 
the bird retains the food which it takes in as it sifts the 
water with the broad bill. Shovelers are usually seen in flocks 
of from five or six to a dozen during the autumn. The nest is 
of dry grass, and is usually placed on a solid tussock in the 
middle of a marsh. It is a good flyer and rapid swimmer, but 
owing to the smallness of its foot, a very indifferent diver. The 
price is from £1 to £2 the pair. 
Mr. Blaauw tells me that he has found the Common 
Shoveler a free breeder on his ponds, but the young ones are a 
little delicate, so that it takes a liberal supply of ants’ eggs to 
rear them. I found the Shoveler an omnivorous feeder, and 
when thoroughly domesticated, by no means confining itself to 
surface feeding, but gorging on soaked grain and rootling about 
in the muddy banks of the pond, with an occasional dip below 
much after the manner of the Pochards. 
Male.—Head and neck green; throat black ; breast and 
greater wing-coverts white ; rest of wing blue, with brown quills ; 
wing-bar green ; tail brown, and pointed ; bill brownish-black ; 
feet orange ; eye bright orange. 
Female.—Brown of various shades ; wing-coverts blue. 
Young.—In down, olive, with brown and yellow patches ; 
easily recognisable by the wide bill. In first feather, like 
female, but young males show the blue wing-coverts ; legs and 
feet flesh colour ; bill pale pinky-brown. 
Egg.—Yellowish, spotted with pale green ; ten to twelve 
in number. June—July. Incubation, three weeks to twenty- 
five days. ‘Twenty-two to twenty-three days” (Naumaun). 
Nest Down.—“ Neutral brownish-grey, pale centre, 
white tips” (Seebohm). 
