their wings, there are few county bird-lists in which
the Sheld-Drake does not appear.
The food of this species consists principally, if not
entirely, of the small animals which are to be found in
abundance on the sand and sea-mud; to wit—lugworms,
sand-hoppers, and molluslcs of all sorts; certain seaweeds
are also said to possess attractions for our bird.
In captivity these birds are easily kept upon ordinary
“ Duck’s food,” but are exceedingly fond of chopped
meat, and devour great numbers of earth-worms.
Although extremely ornamental, the Sheld-Drake is not
a desirable bird amongst other waterfowl, as he is a bully
and a tyrant, and totally worthless from a culinary point
of view. We have reared several of this species at
Lilford; the young are about the prettiest of “ fowl ”
in the pied down of infancy, and are by no means
difficult to keep alive if not allowed access to water,
except for drinking, during the first few months of
their existence.
The only note that I have ever heard produced by
my birds of this species was a short hiss, when bullying
some other bird, or fighting amongst themselves; but
I have heard occasionally on the coast of N. Wales at
night a somewhat Wigeon-like whistle that emanated, as
I believe, from the “ Sand-Geese ” on wing. I have
met with a few of these birds on the lower Guadalquivir,
and have good reason to believe that they breed in that
locality. During the comparatively severe winter of
1857-58 a good many Sheld-Ducks frequented the
shores of Epirus and Acarnania, and I have met with
the species sparingly in various other parts of the
Mediterranean.