218 
ANAS LABRAnORA. 
274 . ANAS LAIlItADOSA, GMELIN AND WILSON I’lED UlICK. 
WILSON, PLATE LXIX. FIG VI. 
This is rather a scarce species on our coasts, and 
never met ivith on fresh water lakes or rivers. It ^ 
called by some frunners the sand shoal duck, from 
habit of freqncntiti<r sand bars. Its principal f"*’® 
appears to he shell fish, n hich it procures by divii'e" 
The hesh is dry, and partakes considerably of the uatiit® 
of its food. It is only seen here during winter; n)0^* 
commonly early in the mouth of March, a few 
observed in our market. Of their particular manner” 
place, or mode of breeding, nothing more is kno"‘®‘ 
Latham observes, that a pair in the possession of 
Josejih Banks were brought from Labrador. Havi"? 
myself had frcipient opportunities of examining liol^ 
sexes of these birds, 1 find that, like most others, they 
^ihject, when young, to a progressive change of colo"'^' 
The full pluraaged male is as follows: Length, tweidl 
inches; extent, twenty-nine inches; the base of 
bill, and edges of both mandibles for two-thirds of the''’ 
length, are of a pale orange (iolour ; the rest, black ! 
towards the extremity it widens a little in the mau»‘’^ 
of the shovellers, the sides there having the singiilarh/ 
of being only a soft, loose, pendulous skin ; irides, dark 
hazel ; head, and half of the neck, white, marked alo*'^ 
the crown to the hind head n ith a stripe of black ; 
plumage of the cheeks is of a peculiar bristly nature *** 
the points, and round the neck passes a collar of blaCy 
which spreads over the ha<^k, rump, and tail-covert^’ 
below this colour the upper part of the breast is whitr> 
extending itself over the n hole scapulars, wing-covert’’ 
and secondaries ; the primaries, lower part of the breas*' 
whole belly, and vent, are black; tail, pointed, and* 
a blackish hoary colour; the fore part of the 
and ridges of the toes, jiale whitish ash ; hind p*" 
the same, bespattered with blaidiish ; webs, black; t'l* 
edges of both mandibles are largely pectinated- j 
young birds, the whole of the white plumage is gcncralv 
