6o 
The Natural History of British Ducks 
one of the Shoveler ; the head is buried low and held in such a position that 
everything is gathered and filtered across the tongue through the pectinated 
bristles of the mouth — those long natural sieves which are among the many 
wonders of Nature.^ All this time the head is kept down, and not raised 
frequently as with the other surface-feeders when they have obtained some 
small morsel of food. It is only when a large substance, such as a big water- 
beetle, of which they are particularly fond, is caught that they throw up the 
head and swallow. 
Shovelers have also, in common with Garganey, another curious habit 
which I have noticed, and have never yet quite determined whether it is a 
part of their courtship or merely a device to create a mud-and-water disturbance 
for the gathering of food. A male and female Shoveler get close together, one 
behind the other, and commence swimming rapidly round in a circle, the bill 
of each through which the water passes being immersed to the forehead and 
held close to the stern of the duck in front, and thus they spin round and 
round for a minute or two, creating a muddy vortex. It may be only a trick 
to move animal life beneath the surface, like the Mallard's surface paddling ; 
but I have only noticed the manoeuvre in spring when the birds are paired. 
To the observer who sees the Shoveler casually by day he appears to be 
somewhat of a lethargic nature ; but, when he cares to do so, he can move 
faster on the water than any of the fresh-water ducks. I have watched with 
pleasure the wonderful sight, calculation, and quickness of a male Shoveler 
that I once kept in confinement on a small marshy pond at Fort George. 
About the last week in April a certain water insect, whose name I do not 
know, would ' rise ' from the mud below to the surface of the pool only to be 
captured by the Shoveler, who, rushing at full speed along the water, snapped 
up the beetle the moment it came to the surface. How it could see the insect 
in the act of rising I could never make out, for it was invisible to me stand- 
ing on the bank above, and I could only just catch a glimpse of it as the 
1 All the surface-feeding ducks are well furnished with this wonderfully delicate mouth-bristle, and it is interesting 
to note that in proportion to the amount of feeding the duck does on the actual water so these are developed — a 
perfect exposition of Darwinism. (See illustration.) 
