THE SHOVELER. 303 



Breeding -habits. — Chiefly found nesting on islands in lakes. 

 Nest. — On ground among long grass or heather, lined with down 

 (feathers from nest, see Brit. B., II, PI. 1.). Eggs. — Generally pale 

 yellowish-green, but sometimes yellowish -cream. Average of 40 

 British eggs, 53x37.1. Max.: 56.1x37.5 and 52.5x39.1. Min. : 

 50.7 X 36.7 and 54.4 x 33.6 mm. Breeding -season. — About mid-May 

 in Scotland and a week earlier in Jutland. Incubation. — By female 

 alone. Period 22-23 days (Heinroth). Single brooded. 



Food. — Somewhat varied, including insects, diptera, coleoptera 

 (Dytiscus, etc.) ; mollusca (Rissoa ulvoe, Planorbis, etc.) ; small 

 fish (once) ; and vegetable matter, including seeds of Cochlearia. 

 Potamogeton, Carex, Polygonum, Hydropiper, Rumex and Pilularia ; 

 also on coast, Zoster a marina. Newstead records acorns ; Naumann 

 spawn and young of frogs. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Resident and winter- visitor (end 

 Aug.-mid-Oct. to end March-end April). Has bred Skye in 1889, 

 Loch Leven (Kinross) since 1898 (and probably before), Loch Gelly 

 (Fife) 1920, Selkirk in 1901, South Uist (O. Hebrides) in 1902, 

 Shetlands 1905 and 1908, Orkneys several years, and increased in 

 1910 and since, Moray area 1913, while a clutch of eggs in Brit. 

 Mus. is labelled " Inverness-shire " (cf. Scot. Nat., 1921, pp. 37-42). 

 May have bred Ireland many years ago. Otherwise regular, but 

 rather scarce, winter-visitor to most parts coast and occasionally 

 inland. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Northern old world Hemisphere, breeding 

 in northern parts from about 70° down to lat. 50°, also in south 

 Spain and south France ; in winter south to northern Africa, 

 India, China, Borneo, and Philippines, Panama, Porto Rico, Cuba, 

 Hawaiian Islands, and Laysan. Casual Madeira, Spitsbergen and 

 Greenland. Represented by closely allied subspecies in N. America. 



Genus SPATULA Boie. 



Spatula Boie, Isis 1822, i, p. 564 (Monotype : S. clypeata). 



Agrees with Anas in structure, except in bill, which is rather 

 longer than head, in front very flat and enormously widened, being 

 twice as broad as at base. Lamellae very fine, long, close together. 

 Fourteen rectrices. Sexes different. Four species, of which one 

 only in northern hemisphere. 



SPATULA CLYPEATA. 



309. Spatula clypeata (L.)— THE SHOVELER. 



Anas clypeata Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 124 (1758 — Restricted 



typical locality : S. Sweden). 



Spatula clypeata (Linnseus), Yarrell, iv, p. 375 ; Saunders, p. 427. 



Description" (Plate 6). — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Crown 

 brown-black glossed dull green ; nape, cheeks and sides of neck 

 metallic blue-green (in some lights glossed violet-mauve) ; lores, 



