432 



TEAL. 



Abyssinia. It is distributed over Asia, from 70° N. in summer to 

 Siam in winter ; in all probability it breeds on the islands of the 

 Aleutian chain, and it has been obtained in Alaska in June. 

 Throughout North America, however, its representative is N. 

 carolinense, the subject of the next article ; but our Teal is an 

 occasional wanderer to the eastern seaboard, from Labrador down 

 to North Carolina ; and has been obtained in Greenland. 



The nest — placed in tufts of heather or herbage, or under low bushes 

 on the borders of morasses and pools — is composed of dry grass and 

 leaves, to which a lining of down is added during the progress of 

 incubation. The 8-10 and even 15 eggs, usually laid early in May, 

 are buffish- or creamy-white with a faint tinge of green : measure- 

 ments I "8 by I "2 in. Many instances are on record of the affection 

 of this bird for its brood, and a female has even been known to 

 follov,' her ducklings into captivity. The food, obtained by night, 

 on or near fresh-water, consists chiefly of the seeds of aquatic 

 grasses, grain, rice (in warm countries), worms, slugs and insects. 

 The Teal has repeatedly bred in the Gardens of the Zoological 

 Society and elsewhere ; while in the wild state hybrids between it 

 and the Gadwall, as well as the Wigeon, are sometimes produced ; 

 one of the latter being the " Bimaculated Duck" of some authors. 



The adult male has the bill blackish ; crown, nape, cheeks and 

 throat rich chestnut ; round and behind the eye an elongated patch 

 of purplish-green enclosed within narrow lines of buff, while a stripe 

 of the latter colour runs from the forehead to the base of the bill ; 

 upper parts delicately vermiculated with black and white; on the 

 secondaries a wing-spot of green and purplish-black, tipped 

 with buff; rump and tail-coverts almost black ; tail-feathers 

 ash-brown ; chin black ; front of neck spotted with black on 

 a warm buff ground ; breast and belly white ; flanks delicately 

 vermiculated with black and white ; under tail-coverts black in the 

 centre and warm buff on each side ; legs and toes brownish-grey. 

 Length 14*5 in.; wing 7-25 in. From the middle of July till 

 October the drake is in female dress, and I have found brown feathers 

 on the back as late as December. The female is mottled with brown 

 on the upper parts, and has a less brilliant wing-spot. The young 

 resemble her, but have darker centres to the under feathers and 

 paler edges to the wing-coverts. 



The North American Summer-Duck, Aix spoiisa, is kept and 

 breeds freely on many ornamental waters, and wanderers are some- 

 times shot. 



