MALLARD, TEAL AND SHOVELLER 
271 
Throughout its home, which embraces the 
whole United States east of the Rockies, and 
also far north and far south, it is so common — 
and also so small — it is not highly prized by 
sportsmen, and its worst enemy is the sordid 
market-hunter. Like the other teal, it prefers 
quiet, inland waters to the wide expanses that 
back up from the sea. 
All the teal are quick risers, and also speedy 
on the wing; but they are rather dull of sense, 
and easy to approach. The Blue-Wing is 
known by the conspicuous white crescent in 
front of and half encircling the eye, and the 
bright blue patch, called the “speculum,” on 
its wing. 
The Cinnamon Teal 1 is a cinnamon-brown 
bird of the western half of the United States, 
once common, but rapidly diminishing in 
numbers. This species is very difficult to keep 
long in captivity, being very sensitive to all 
adverse influences. 
The Green-Winged Teal 2 has a very noticea- 
ble crest, and a beautiful emerald-green specu- 
lum on each wing. It is found scattered over 
practically the whole of North America, from 
the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Barren 
Grounds to Cuba and Honduras. 
The Shoveller , 3 also called the Spoonbill, 
is a handsome duck, recognizable by its extreme- 
ly broad and spoon-shaped bill — the broadest 
of any American duck. The head and neck 
of the male are either black, or dark metallic- 
green; and the body-colors are black, white, 
blue, and green, handsomely disposed. 
The bill of this bird shows the limit of de- 
velopment in width, and the comb-like lamellae 
along the outer edges, which are designed for 
use in straining minute particles of food out of 
water, are very pronounced. These minute 
plates are set cross-wise at the edges of the 
mandibles, and perform the same functon as 
the plates of hairy baleen, or “whalebone,” 
in the mouth of a baleen whale. All the mem- 
bers of the Order Anatidae are provided with 
lamellated bills, as also are the flamingoes. 
This fine duck is a bird of inland waters, and 
1 Quer-qued'u-la cy-an-op' ter-a. Average length, 
16 inches. 
2 Net'ti-on carolinensis. Average length, 13.50 
inches. 
3 Spat'u-la cly-pe-a’ta. Average length, 19 inches. 
appears to dislike salt water. It is found 
sparingly “pretty much everywhere throughout 
the northern hemisphere . . . but is not 
common in the eastern states, and breeds from 
Alaska to Texas.” Its flight is much like that 
of a teal, but less swift, and in cruising about 
for good feeding-grounds it is irregular and 
hesitating. “The body of the Shoveller is not 
large, and its apparent size in the air is made 
up chiefly of wings and head. ... As a 
bird for the table, I have held it in very high 
esteem.” (D. G. Elliot.) 
Male. Female. 
THE SHOVELLER-DUCK. 
In captivity it is a difficult bird to acclima- 
tize and keep alive, which for several reasons is 
to be regretted. The females and immature 
birds are colored very differently from the 
adult and perfect males. The following local 
names of this bird have been recorded by Mr. 
Elliot in his admirable book on “The Wild 
Fowl of North America”: Blue-Winged Shovel- 
ler, Red-Breasted Shoveller, Spoonbilled “Teal,” 
Spoonbilled “Widgeon,” Broad-Bill, Broady, 
Swaddle-Bill and Mud-Shoveller. 
I regard the Pintail, or Sprigtail , 4 as the 
most beautiful duck in America, not even ex- 
cepting the wood-duck. On land its outlines 
are trim, graceful and finely drawn, and on the 
water it makes one think of a finely modelled 
yacht. In beauty of form it far surpasses all 
4 Dafi-la a-cu’ta. Average length of male, 27 
inches; female, 22 inches. 
