Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2000 10:58:44 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Janet Millenson Subject: Re: Shoveling party MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Found a reference to the circular feeding behavior in Forbush & May, "A Natural History of American Birds of Eastern & Central North America" (one-volume edition, copyright 1939). This appears in the paragraph about the feeding habits of the Shoveller: "Three or four Shovellers will form in line following one after the other= , and then the leader will swing round in an ellipse, turning and following the hindmost, each one apparently straining through its bill the water stirred by the paddling feet of the one before it. Thus round and round t= hey go with chattering bills, each one apparently enjoying the guttering exercise and getting some sustenance from the disturbed and turgid elemen= t. The male and female also circle about in this manner during courtship." Janet Millenson Potomac, MD janet@twocrows.com --------------------------------------------------- "Look at the birds!" -- Pascal the parrot ========================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ========================================================================= ===========================================================================