. A history of British birds . brown ; wing-covertsbrown, with paler margins ; speculum like that of the male;tail-feathers of dark brown, with edses and tips of palebuffy-brown and white. The young birds of the year, compared with the adults,are of a more uniform reddish-brown colour above, speckledwith dark brown; the middle of each feather also dark brown. The nestlings of the Mallard and of the Gadwall aremuch alike—yellowish-white below and umber-brown above ;—but there is a more pronounced golden tinge on the throatand cheeks of the Gadwall, the streak through the eye ismore defined, and
. A history of British birds . brown ; wing-covertsbrown, with paler margins ; speculum like that of the male;tail-feathers of dark brown, with edses and tips of palebuffy-brown and white. The young birds of the year, compared with the adults,are of a more uniform reddish-brown colour above, speckledwith dark brown; the middle of each feather also dark brown. The nestlings of the Mallard and of the Gadwall aremuch alike—yellowish-white below and umber-brown above ;—but there is a more pronounced golden tinge on the throatand cheeks of the Gadwall, the streak through the eye ismore defined, and there is a small dark spot at the junctionof the mandibles, which the Mallard has not. The aboveremarks are based on specimens lent by Mr. E. Bidwell. The windpipe of the Gadwall is rather small in calibre,with a slight enlargement of the tube about two inchesabove the bony protuberance as here shown. The note ofthis species is shrill and frequently repeated : hence thename of strepera. SHOVELLER. AN SERES. 375 Spatula clypeata (Linnaeus*).THE SHOVELLER, SPOON-BILL DUCK, OR BROAD-BILL. Anas clypeata. Spatula, ^oiet.—Bill much longer than the head, compressed at the base,widening towards the end ; lamella projecting conspicuously from the base tonear the broadest part. Wing pointed, the first and second quill-feathers thelongest. Tail short, graduated, of fouiteen pointed feathers. Legs very short ;hind toe small, free, unlobed. The Shoveller is to be considered generally as a wintervisitor to this country, but some remain to breed ; althoughat the present day few, if any, do so in our southern andwestern counties, where localities suited to their habits,combined with due protection, are scarce. On the eastern * Anas clypeata, Linnseus, Syst. Nat. Ed. 12, i. p. 200 (1766). t Isis, 1822, p. 564. The present is the only species found in the northernhemisphere, but there are four others, peculiar, respectively, to South America,Australia, New Zealand, and South Af
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Keywords: ., bookauthorsaun, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds
