THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
the crown and spotted on the sides of the head and fore-neck with blackish ; 
rest of the underparts blackish -grey widely margined with pale rufous - 
buff, giving these parts a mottled or coarsely spotted appearance ; under 
tail -coverts pale reddish -buff, spotted and marked with blackish; wings 
much like those of the male, but the wing-coverts are greyer, the green 
speculum on the secondaries less bright, and the longer scapulars devoid 
of blue -grey on the outer web. Iris light hazel; bill brown; feet dull 
orange. Total length about 18 inches ; bill 2*4 inches ; wing 8*5 inches ; 
tail 3*0 inches ; tarsus 1*4 inch. 
General distribution . — ^The Shoveler inhabits the greater part of the 
northern hemisphere, and during the summer-months its range is circum- 
polar. Its breeding-range is a very wide one; in Europe it is seldom found 
further north than the Arctic Circle, but from thence southwards to North 
Africa it is more or less universally distributed in suitable localities, and 
is said to be resident in the highlands of Abyssinia. Across Asia, south of 
about 68° N. latitude, it extends to the Pacific. In winter the numbers in 
the Mediterranean basin are greatly increased by migrants from the 
north, and its movements extend to the Canary Islands, Senegambia and 
Somaliland, while it has even been recorded from the Cape. It is also 
found in Arabia, Persia, India, Ceylon, South China, Japan, Formosa and 
the Hawaiian Islands. In North America it is widely distributed, and 
breeds from Alaska southwards to the Southern States, wintering in the 
West Indies, Panama and Colombia. 
Distribution in the British Isles . — ^To the British Isles the shoveler is chiefly 
a winter-visitor, but it is also resident and breeds in many parts. Since 
the Act for the Preservation of Wildfowl was passed in 1876, the num- 
ber of pairs which remain to breed has steadily increased, and at the 
present time it nests in varying numbers from the Orkney Islands south- 
wards. In Ireland it breeds plentifully in many counties and in increasing 
numbers. 
Nest and eggs . — ^The nest is placed among heather or rough grass, 
usually near fresh water, and is made of dead grass, lined with down 
from the breast of the female. The eggs, from eight to fourteen in number, 
are laid between the end of April and June, according to locality; they 
vary from whitish -buff to pale greenish -buff, and measure about 2 '2 by 
1 *5 inches. Incubation lasts from twenty -one to twenty -three days. 
The food consists of grasses, weeds, worms, molluscs, aquatic insects, 
etc., and the flesh is usually excellent. 
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