THE TEAU 283 



I. THE COMMON TEAL. NETTION CRECCA 



Ajias crecca, Linn. S. N. i. p. 204 (1766). 



Qiterquedida crecca^ Macg. Br. B. v. p. 48 (1852); Dresser, B. 



Eur. vi. p. 507, pi. 426 (T871); B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 



127 (1883) ; Saunders, ed. Yarr. Br. B. iv. p. 387 (1885); 



Seebohm, Br. B. iii. p. 545 (1885); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. 



B. part viii. (1888) ; Saunders, Man. Br. B. p. 419 (1889}. 

 Nettion crecca, Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 243 (1895). 

 {^Piate LVIII. Fig. i.) 

 Adult Male. — General colour above dusky-grey, with some- 

 what coarse vermiculations of ashy-grey ; the scapulars, lower 

 back, and rump browner, with darker centres to the feathers 

 and scarcely any vermiculations ; the outer scapulars black and 

 white, forming a double line of these colours ; the upper tail- 

 coverts blackish, with whiter margins ; wing-coverts uniform 

 ashy-grey, the greater series broadly tipped with white, the 

 inner ones with cinnamon-buff, forming a band along the 

 upper edge of the speculum ; the bastard-wing, primary-coverts, 

 and quills dusky-grey, the inner webs of the primaries browner ; 

 the outer secondaries velvety-black, the inner ones externally 

 metallic-green, or purplish-blue in other lights, followed by a 

 line of velvety-black, of which the outer web of some of the 

 inner secondaries are composed ; the innermost secondaries 

 ashy-brown; tail-feathers ashy-brown; crown of head deep 

 cinnamon or chestnut, as also the sides of the face and throat ; 

 the chin black, extending in a line at the base of the bill to the 

 forehead, which is also blackish ; this is succeeded by a line 

 of creamy-buff in a crescent from the base of the bill to the 

 eye, and is continued above the latter in a narrow line along 

 the side of the crown; the eye is surrounded by a black band, 

 glossed with green or purple, which unites on the nape, and 

 is bordered below for some distance by a line of white con- 

 tinuous with the line which divides in front of the eye ; lower 

 eyelid with a white spot ; under surface of body creamy-white ; 

 the fore-neck and breast more fulvescent, and thickly spotted 

 with black ; the sides of the body and flanks vermiculated with 

 dusky-grey and blackish ; under tail-coverts black, the longer 

 ones bordered with white, the basal ones white barred with 

 dusky ; on each side of the vent a patch of creamy-buff, with a 



