All rights reserved]. [Jur.v, 190S. 



BIRD NOTES: 



THE 



JOURNAL OF THE FOREIGN BIRD CLUB. 



Gbe Seal. 



{Nettion crecca). 

 By H. Wokmald. 



Having been commanded by our Editor to contribute an 

 article on Teal for Bird Notes, I will endeavour to give a few 

 particulars about them in freedom and captivity. 



The Teal, in my opinion, easily wins the palm for beaut}' 

 among British Ducks, though the Pintail is more graceful. One 

 may shoot a Mallard and pick it up and put it in one's pocket or 

 game-bag without a second glance, but I defy anyone to shoot a 

 Teal drake in full winter plumage and not stop to admire the 

 beautiful pencilling on the flanks and grand colour in the head 

 and wings. Teal are very inactive and lethargic during the day, 

 and spend most of the time sitting about, preening their feathers, 

 or dozing with their bills hidden under their scapular feathers. 

 They rise from the water very quickly and shoot straight up into 

 the air, and unlike any other duck, give one no warning before 

 rising. I have noticed that while they are making a straight- 

 forward flight they are capable of turning very quickly, and 

 either dive downwards or shoot upwards — the latter stratagem 

 being exceedingly trying to the gunner! 



The courtship of the Teal is a very pretty sight ; person- 

 all)' I have never had the opportunity of seeing more than one 

 drake at a time display to a duck, though Mr. J. G. Millais has 

 told me that he has seen several drakes displaying at once, and 

 curiously enough, all to the same duck, even when there were 

 other females at hand, which leads one to suppose that the 

 individual duck was fitter and more willing to breed than the 



[I much regret being unable to reproduce Mr. Wormald's fine draw- 

 ing in colour, as the half-tone process has brought out the colour values 

 very indifferently. — Ed.] 



