316 
VERTEEKATA. 
THE SHOVELEB. 
in the midst of a quiet plantation, from whicli six semicircular canals are cut, wliicli are roofed 
over with hoops and covered in 
with netting. Into this vast 
trap the ducks are enticed hy 
young ducks trained for the pur- 
pose. 
Genus ANAS : Anas. — To 
this belongs the Common Wild 
Duck or Mallard, A. hoschas^ 
the original of all the domestic 
varieties. It is twenty-four 
inches long, and marked with 
green, chestnut, and white. It 
is an inhabitant of all the coun- 
tries of Europe, especially to- 
ward the north, and is also 
abundant in Noi'th America. 
Hero it is migratory, passing to 
the ISTorth in spring and return- 
ing to the South in autumn. 
It frequents the lakes of the interior as well as the sea-coasts. It is plentiful in Great Britain at 
all seasons, merely quitting the more exposed situations at the approach of winter and taking 
shelter in the valleys ; or, in case of a severe winter, visiting the estuaries. In a wild state, the 
mallard always pairs, and dur- 
ing the period of incubation the 
male, although he takes no part 
in the process, always keeps in 
the neighborhood of the female ; 
and it is singular that half-bred 
birds between the wild and tame 
varieties always exhibit the same 
habit, although the ordinary do- 
mestic drakes are polygamous, 
always endeavoring to get as 
many wives as they can. 
The SiiovELER, A, clypeuta, 
— called also Broad-Bill and 
Spoon-Bill — is seventeen inches 
long, and greatly prized for its 
flesh ; it is also a very beautiful 
species. It occasionally visits 
the sea-coast, but is more commonly met with on lakes and rivers, particularly along their muddy 
shores, where it spends a great part of its time in searching for worms, &c. The female makes 
her nest on the ground, with withered grass, usually in the midst of tufts of rushes, and lays 
from ten to twelve eggs. The young are said to be at first very unshapely, having most enor- 
mous bills. The shoveler is found in Europe and America. 
The Gadwall or Gray Duck, A. strepera, is nineteen inches long, and is common to Europe 
and America; very abundant in some countries; common in India. Its flesh is excellent. 
Wilson says *' it is a very quick diver, so as to make it difficult to be shot; it flies also with great 
rapidity, and utters a note not unlike that of the mallard, but louder; is fond of salines and 
ponds overgrown with reeds and rushes ; feeds during the day, as well a£ in the morning and 
evening." 
THE GADWALL. 
