136 THE SHELLDRAKE OR BURROW-DUCK. 
is likewise to Northern Persia and Asia Minor. In Europe it 
has occurred in most countries, ranging as far north as the 
Faroes, and in Scandinavia as the 70° North Latitude ; but it does 
not get nearly so far north in Russia. It used to be extremely 
common on the Coasts of the British Isles, but has been exter- 
minated in many places, and only exists, in greatly diminished 
numbers, in others. 
Again in the north of Africa it is found, but not crossing 
southwards of the Tropic of Cancer. 
As a whole it is essentially a bird of the Temperate Zone of 
the Old World; nowhere approaching the Arctic Circle, except 
at the extreme west of its range, and nowhere straggling into the 
tropics except in the easternmost portions of this. 
IN EUROPE pre-eminently a sea coast bird, itis only in Sind, 
Cutch, and Kathiawar that it is met with,so far as I know, 
about our Indian Coasts.* This may be, partly, because most 
of our coast line is too far south for it, and partly because most 
of what does occur within its range is too muddy. It likes a 
sandy coast, or at any rate clean soil and not mud. I have 
never known of its occurrence in any of our rivers, grand 
reaches of fine sands as these afford, but only in large lakes 
and broads, and always about those portions where the shores 
were most sandy, or at any rate, free from mud. 
They seem to arrive late and leave pretty early. I have no 
record of ever seeing one before about the middle of November, 
or after the middle of April, at which latter period I once saw 
one in the Calcutta Bazar. 
Like the Brahminies they are essentially shore birds; until 
disturbed, I never once saw one swimming about in the open 
water. They are either prowling about on the land near to the 
water’s edge, or else paddling in the shallows close to this latter. 
With us they are always seen in pairs or in small parties of 
three to five in number ; never in considerable sized flocks. 
They walk with more ease than the Mallard, more like the 
Barred-headed Goose, but less pompously, and with quicker 
steps. They rise and fly more like other Ducks, with less noise 
and more rapid beats of the wing than either the Bar-head or 
Brahminy. As for swimming, I have seen them so seldom out 
of even ¢hezy depths that I really can say nothing. Naturally 
I have never seen them dive, though doubtless, if wounded, they 
would dive, as I have seen them when feeding in shallow water, 
keeping their heads under, and only the tail halves of their 
bodies above water, quite as long at a stretch as any of the true 
Ducks. 
All those that I have examined had fed chiefly on land and 
water shells, and fresh water shrimps of kinds, but the stomachs, 
* Tt may occur on the Chittagong Coasts, parts of which are hard and sandy. 
