. History of British birds : the figures engraved on wood . thefe beautiful birds ; but as they areof a roving difpofition, and are apt to flray, or toquit altogether fuch limited fpots, it is generallyfound neceffary to pinion or difable a wing to fe-cure them. The Shieldrake has been known tobreed with the Common Duck; but it is not wellafcertained whether the hybrids thus produced willbreed again or not. This fpecies is difperfed, in greater or lefs num-bers, over the warm, as well as the cold climates,in various parts of the world: they are met with asfar north as Iceland in the fpring, an
. History of British birds : the figures engraved on wood . thefe beautiful birds ; but as they areof a roving difpofition, and are apt to flray, or toquit altogether fuch limited fpots, it is generallyfound neceffary to pinion or difable a wing to fe-cure them. The Shieldrake has been known tobreed with the Common Duck; but it is not wellafcertained whether the hybrids thus produced willbreed again or not. This fpecies is difperfed, in greater or lefs num-bers, over the warm, as well as the cold climates,in various parts of the world: they are met with asfar north as Iceland in the fpring, and in Swedenand the Orkney Iflands in the winter. CaptainCook notices them, among other fea-fowl, on thecoafl of Van Deimens land, and they have beenfeen, in great numbers, at the Falkland they are not numerous on the Britifh andthe oppofite fhores, yet they are common enoughin the Britifh ifles, where they remain throughoutthe year, always in pairs, and occafionally flragglcaway from the fea-coafls to the lakes inland. BRITISH BIRDS. 345. SHOVELER. BLUE-WING SHOVELER, KERTLUTOCK, OR BROAD-BILL.{^Anas clypeata, Lin.—Le Souchet^ BufF,) The Shoveler is lefs than the Wild Duck, com-monly weighing about twenty-two ounces, and mea-furing twenty-one inches in length. The bill isblack, three inches long, very broad or fpread out,and rounded hke a fpoon at the end, with the nailhooked inward and fmall: the infides of the man-dibles are remarkably well furnilhed with thin pec-tinated rows, which fit into each other like a weaversbrake, and through which no dirt can pafs, whilethe bird is feparating or fifting the fmall worms andinfedts from amongft the mud, by the edges of thewater, where it is continually fearching for them: Vol. II. t X X 34^ BRITISH BIRDS. the irides are of a fine pure yellow; the head andupper half of the neck of a dark glofTy changeablegreen : the lower part of the neck, breafl, and fca-pulars, white: the back is brown : belly and fideschefnut bay
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