NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 1039 



753. — Nettion gibdeuifrons, Miiller. 

 GREY TEAL. 



Figure— Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.. vol. xxvii., pi. 2, fig. 2. 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxvii., p. 254. 



Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Hume : Nests and Eggs Indian Birds 

 (1875), also (Dates' ed.) vol. iii., p. 290 (1890) ; Campbell : 

 Southern Science Record (1883) ; Ramsay : Proc. Linn. Soc, 

 N.S. Wales, 2nd ser., vol. i., p. 1151 (18S6) ; North: Austn. 

 Mus. Cat., p. 342 (18S9). 



Geognipliinil Distrihiitlnii. — Australia in general and Tasmania; 

 also New Zealand, New Guinea, Timor, Java, Celebes, Flores, and 

 Suraba. 



.Vf^■^ — Usuallv a hole or hollow spout of a tree, furnished with a 

 quantity of down, but sometimes situated upon the ground in herbage, 

 in the vicinity of water, but often, as in the case of the Black Duck, 

 at a distance from that element. Nest-down, greyish-brown, each 

 particle whitish in the centre, with light-coloured tips. 



Eggs. — Clutch, nine to twelve usually, a record of eighteen ; elliptical 

 in shape ; texture of shell fine ; sui-face glossy and greasy ; colour, light 

 creamy-white. Dimensions in inches of a proper clutch : (1) TOG x 1-39, 

 (2) 1-94 X 1-4, (3) 1-92 x 1-37, (4) 1-9 x 1-4, (5) 1-9 x 1-37, (6) 1-89 x 1-38, 

 (7) 1-89 X 1-37, (8) 1-87 x 1-39, (9) 1-87 x 1-36, (10) 1-86 x 1-35, 

 (11) 1-84 x 1-34. 



Observafion.s. — The Grey Teal (X. gibherifroih?) has a more exten- 

 sive habitat than the Chestnut-breasted, ranging from Austro-Malayan 

 regions do\vn through Aiistralia to New Zealand, even to Macquarie 

 Island. 



Field obsei-vers and collectors now have no doubt alx)ut the exis- 

 tence of this second variety of Teal in Au.stralia. Some systematists 

 appear to entertain a doubt. Count Salvadori, who classified the 

 Anseres in the British Museum " Catalogue," referring to the Grey 

 Teal, says : " Tliis species is absoluteh' similar to the supposed female 

 of N. casfaneum, both in its colour and dimensions, so that I am 

 utterl)' imable to distinguish it ; still it seems quite certain that they 

 ara not identical, as the birds in pliunage of N. gibherifrons have bred 

 and, perhaps, are still breeding, in the Zoological Gardens of London. 

 . We must wait for additional information in order to settle 

 the question of the specific differences between T. casfaneum and 

 X. gihherifrons." 



Mr. G. A. Keartland, having weighed two species of Teal in the 

 flesh, has kindly furnished me with the average results : — Chestnut 

 Teal — male, 1 lb. 9 oz. ; female, 1 lb. 8 oz. Grey Teal, male 1 lb, 2 oz. ; 

 female, 1 lb. 1 oz. This is evidence that seems to speak for itself. The 

 Count could find no difference between the females. According to the 

 above figures there is nearly a third difference in^the weights. 



