. Reptiles and birds. A popular account of the various orders; with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting. . aters. It is almost aslarge as the latter; it makes its nest in the rushes round pools orlakes, and feeds upon the roots of grasses and aquatic plants, also onworms, molluscs, and small fish. They are plentiful in the easterncounties south of the Humber, and in the fen counties ; and itoccurs in America, where, as Dr. Richardson states, it breeds in all p 2 228 REPTILES AND BIRDS. parts of the fur countries, from the fiftieth parallel to their mostnortherly lim
. Reptiles and birds. A popular account of the various orders; with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting. . aters. It is almost aslarge as the latter; it makes its nest in the rushes round pools orlakes, and feeds upon the roots of grasses and aquatic plants, also onworms, molluscs, and small fish. They are plentiful in the easterncounties south of the Humber, and in the fen counties ; and itoccurs in America, where, as Dr. Richardson states, it breeds in all p 2 228 REPTILES AND BIRDS. parts of the fur countries, from the fiftieth parallel to their mostnortherly limits. Audubon found it abundant in winter about NewOrleans, in East Florida, and on the Chesapeake Bay. Although theydive much and to a great depth in our bays and estuaries, yet, whenin the shallow ponds of the interior, they prefer dabbling in the mudalong the shores, much in the manner of the Mallard. This bird reaches France in Httle flocks of twenty to forty in themonth of October. It can easily be caught in nets. The Canvas-back Duck {Anas valUsiiierid) of America, the mostdehcious of waterfowl, is next deserving of Fig 86. - The Shoveller. The Shoveller {Anas dypeatd). The Shoveller (Fig. Zd) is very common on the Seine and theMarne, where it is called rouge de riviere. It is smaller thanthe common Wild Duck, and has a very long bill, with the uppermandible of a semi-cylindrical shape, dilated at its extremity, some-what in the form of a small spoon. This bird is really charming inthe brilliancy of its plumage. Its head and neck are of a brightgreen, and its wings are variegated with streaks of a brilliant paleblue, green, white, and black. It is called red because itsplumage underneath is of a brownish-red hue. In the month ofFebruary it abandons the icy regions of the north, to visit the moresouthern lakes and rivers of France and Germany. With us it is THE SHIELDRAKE. 229 only a straggler, although in former days, when our system of drain-age was less perfect,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectrep
