SHIELDRAKE. 
397 
NAT A TORES. 
A NA TIDJE. 
SHIELDRAKE. 
Tadokna vulpanser. 
PLATE CXII. FIG. I. 
Unlike any other species of this tribe of birds, the 
Shieldrake deposits its eggs in holes under ground. It 
selects for that purpose the deserted burrow of a rabbit, 
and makes its nest at various distances from the mouth 
of the hole, from three to six feet and sometimes even at 
a greater depth. The eggs are from ten to twelve in num¬ 
ber, large, and of a very smooth shell, sometimes, as in 
the plate, very round in form, and nearly pure white; 
sometimes oval, and slightly tinged with colour common 
to the eggs of the wild-duck; the nest is composed of a 
small portion of dried grass lined with down. A nest in 
Mr. Hancock's collection, which was carefully dug out of 
a rabbit-burrow, is entirely formed of a thick bed of down, 
and yet retains its cup-like form. The down of which the 
nest of this species is constructed, is beautifully clean, and 
unmixed with dry grass or other material made use of by 
those ducks to give weight and tenacity to the lining of 
their nests, which, being exposed, might otherwise be 
blown away. The Shieldrake breeds upon Holy Island or 
Lindisfarne, and the low sandy links of the mainland 
which are nearly opposite the island, and are one large 
rabbit-warren. 
