284 Allen's naturalist's library. 



velvety-black base ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white ; 

 bill nearly black ; feet, toes, and membrane brownish-grey ; iris 

 hazel. Total length, 14 inches; culmen, 1*5 ; wing, yo ; tail, 

 27 ; tarsus, 1*1. 



Adult Female. — Different from the male. Dark brown above, 

 with crescentic or horse-shoe markings of tawny-buff on the 

 mantle and back ; the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts 

 dusky and more blackish-brown, mottled with wiiitish edgings 

 and centres to the feathers; wing as in the male, with an 

 equally distinct speculum, showing green in certain lights and 

 purplish-blue in others ; the black border to the inner margin 

 of the speculum dusky-black, not velvety-black; crown of head 

 rufous-brown with dusky streaks ; sides of face and throat 

 ashy-whitish, minutely spotted with dusky ; lores, a spot under 

 the eye, and upper throat white; breast white, with a slight 

 reddish tinge on the fore-neck, this and the breast and flanks 

 mottled, and the under tail-coverts streaked with dark brown 

 centres to the feathers. Total length, 15-5 inches: culmen, 

 1-25 ; wing, 67 ; tail, 2*5 ; tarsus, I'l. 



Mr. De Winton writes to me concerning the post-nuptial 

 plumage of the Teal : — " In the summer dress it is very diffi- 

 cult to tell the males from the females, and they resemble each 

 other more than any Duck I know. After a close inspection, 

 the chief difference I can find is that the males have a more 

 lead-coloured head, with no light stripe over the eye, but they 

 show a little buff at the sides of the base of the tail. The 

 female has a pale stripe over the eye, though this is never so 

 distinct as in the hen Garganey." 



Young. — At first both sexes resemble the ^ old female in 

 plumage, but are more distinctly mottled with dark centres 

 to the feathers of the under surface, while the wing-coverts 

 have pale margins. 



Hybrids. — The Teal has been known to cross with other 

 Ducks, such as the Mallard and Pin-tail, while the so-called 

 Bimaculated Duck {A. bimaciilatd) is now admitted to be a 

 hybrid between a Teal and a Mallard. 



Eange in Great Britain. — The Teal nests in most parts of the 

 British Islands, but more plentifully in the north. Mr. Ussher 

 says that it is reported to breed in every county in Ireland 



