SHOVELLER 29 



there is more divergence of opinion. I once knew an old epicure from Baltimore who 

 considered himself an absolute authority on food and drink. At a certain shooting 

 club he used to pick out for himself as a breakfast dish a young Shoveller still with 

 pin-feathers in its plumage. Most American sportsmen consider this a fairly good 

 bird for the table, although not equal to Mallard or Teal. Audubon almost goes into 

 raptures in speaking of it, but he does the same for almost every other duck. Never- 

 theless there is plenty of evidence to the contrary, and it certainly never fetched a 

 high price in the markets. The truth is that the Shoveller averages thinner than any 

 of its relatives, and is seldom in really prime condition. The flesh when poor is not 

 fishy in flavor, but rather muddy. 



Among European sportsmen there is the same difference of opinion. Some con- 

 sider it very good, others think it rather mediocre. But in India it seems to be uni- 

 versally despised, due no doubt to the very filthy nature of some of the village ponds 

 on which it feeds. Both Hume and Marshall (1879) and Baker (1908) consider it 

 one of the worst ducks. Undoubtedly it is strongly flavored there, due to the abun- 

 dance of animal food provided by the warm winter climate. On the other hand 

 there may be a large element of prejudice involved in the stigma cast upon it. 



Hunt. What has been said on this subject in connection with other surface- 

 feeders applies equally to the Shoveller, excepting that this species is much more 

 easily stalked. It is not so easy to attract with bait because of its dislike for coarse 

 grains; nevertheless it can be baited, as can some diving ducks, such as Golden-eye, 

 Red-head and Canvas-back. 



Behavior in Captivity. Generally speaking the Shoveller is a species poorly 

 adapted for ornamental waters because it requires an abundance of minute aquatic 

 life to keep it in health. If Shovellers are turned out on a small piece of water which 

 has been crowded for several seasons with many kinds of ducks, the chances are that 

 they will live for only a few months. Although often for sale in this country they are 

 not particularly cheap, because the breeders lose a good many in the handling. 

 Even those that survive transportation usually arrive in poor condition, as thin as 

 crows, although perhaps in beautiful plumage. But if the proper conditions are 

 available they can be brought into good condition and are then not especially hard 

 to breed. They used to fetch from $15.00 to $20.00 a pair in this country, and in 

 England usually from £l to £2. 



In Europe it has been kept and bred in many public gardens and private parks. 

 The old birds seem to do well if conditions are reasonably good, but the young are 

 delicate and require special care in feeding (Job, 1915; Blaauw, fide Hubbard, 

 1907). Mr. Wormald had a female bird which laid three clutches of eggs in the 

 summer of 1922. Eighteen specimens kept in the London Gardens lived, on the 



