70 
THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 
The nest is composed externally of seaweed, and lined with down, which is plucked by 
the female from her breast as incubation proceeds, till eventually it completely conceals the 
eggs. Each nest yields about one-sixth of a pound, and is worth, on the spot, from twelve to 
fifteen shillings a pound. 
The Pochards, Scaups, Goldex-eves, and Scoters are relatives of the eider-duck ; 
but since all resemble the latter in their general mode of life, we need not consider 
them here. 
The Mergansers and Smews, to which reference has been made, differ markedly from all 
the ducks so far considered in the peculiar formation of the bill, which is relatively long and 
narrow, with its edges armed with sharp, tooth-like processes projecting backwards towards the 
back of the mouth. These processes are really only horny spines, and have no relation to 
i'hfjtQ by the Duchess of Bedford"] \lVohurn Abbey 
CAPE BARREN GOOSE 
This bird is a native of South-east Australia and Tasmania, and remarkable for its short beak 
teeth, although they are used, as teeth would be, for holding slippery prey, such as fish, which 
form the greater part of the diet of these birds. 
So far, in all the ducks which we have considered, the male differs conspicuously from the 
female in plumage ; but in the forms we are now about to describe both sexes are coloured alike. 
The first is the COMMON Sheldrake, which seems to lie somewhere on the borderland 
between the Ducks and the Geese. It is a very beautiful bird, conspicuously marked with 
broad bands of orange-chestnut, white, and black. The beak being coral red in colour, and 
further ornamented by a peculiar fleshy knob at its base, serves to set off the glossy bottle- 
green colour of the head and neck. As appears to be invariably the case where both sexes 
are coloured alike, the female builds her nest in a hole, generally a rabbit-burrow, whilst 
the young have a distinct livery, duller in tone than that of the parent. The female 
sheldrake breeds in Britain, and may be frequently seen at sea flying in small parties, which 
have been likened to a flock of butterflies. 
