THE SHOVELLER. 143 
Although it may be often seen on the banks of rivers, and 
again on large inland lakes, it is perhaps most commonly found 
on small pools and ponds. So, too, though it often associates 
with other kinds of Wild Fowl, it is, owing to its haunting 
localities that most of these would eschew, more commonly 
seen by itself or with, at most, a few of the Common Teal in 
its company. Where it does occur on the larger pieces of water, 
it is, I think, decidedly more generally associated with Teal and 
Gadwall than with any other species. 
It is a very tame bird. You will meet with it in many parts of 
the North-West Provinces on every trumpery little village pond, 
half surrounded by huts, the resort of the washermen, and of 
the entire population for purposes of ablution, and of the vil- 
lage herds, driven thither twice a day for water. Filthy is quite 
an inadequate epithet for many of these reeking sinks of pollu- 
tion, but foul or fair, the Shoveller is equally at home in them, 
and may be seen at all hours feeding along the very edge, now 
just in and now just out of water, making no epicurian selection, 
but feeding on pretty well every organic substance that comes 
to hand, nice or nasty. 
Doubtless in more savoury localities, such asthe more aris- 
tocratic Ducks frequent, insects and their larve, worms, small 
frogs, shells, tiny fish, and all kinds of seeds and shoots of water 
grasses, rushes and the like, constitute their food ; but when they 
take up their abode on one of these village ponds, and the pond 
isa real dirty one, I can assert, from the examination of many 
recently killed birds, that it is impossible to say what they will 
not eat. 
All Ducks are more or less omnivorous, but no other Duck will, 
as a rule, frequent the dirty holes in which a pair of Shovellers 
often pass the entire winter, sticking to their cess-pool, (for it is 
really, as the season advances, little short of this), so long as a 
bucketful of liquid filth and mud remains, 
At all times their fat hasa most rank and unpleasant taste, 
but if killed offa clean jhil and skizned before cooking, they 
are not bad, but unless a man is ready to eat Crows and Vultures 
he ought steadily to abstain from Shovellers that haunt our 
dirty little village pools. 
In such situations, too, they are quite as tame, in many places, 
as domestic Ducks. You may walk openly up to them, gun in 
hand; when within twenty yards they may waddle into the 
water, and as you approach, swim slowly from the shore, but 
they will seldom rise until you fire, and even then as often as not 
will never attempt to leave the pond, but will settle again after 
a circle or two in the air. 
Generally you find a pair, or one male and two females on 
such ponds. Even on large sheets of water, on which there may 
be fifty, they are never in flocks, always in small parties, posted 
at different parts of the shore, and taking no heed, apparently, 
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