294 Allen's naturalist's library. 



Habits. —In its ways the Garganey resembles the Teal, but 

 Mr. Seebohm calls attention to a few slight peculiarities in 

 the habits of this species, viz., its intolerance of cold, which is 

 apparently the reason that the bird does not venture so far 

 north as its congeners, and accounts also for its earlier depar- 

 ture south. Its flight is very rapid, but almost noiseless, and 

 altogether the Garganey is somewhat of a silent species. He 

 adds : — " Its quack is not so loud as that of the Mallard, but 

 is in a slightly higher key ; it may be represented by the 

 syllable kiiake^ whence the German name for this duck ' knak- 

 ente.' " It is generally uttered singly, but is sometimes re- 

 peated twice. The quack is common to both sexes, but in 

 the breeding-season the male utters a harsh grating note re- 

 sembling kr-r-r.^'' 



Nest — According to Mr. Seebohm, this is placed in a variety 

 of positions — hidden under a bush or in thick grass or sedge, 

 far away from water in the forest or among the corn, anywhere 

 and everywhere where a hidden retreat can be found. It is 

 made very deep, and is lined with dead grass and leaves, to 

 which plenty of down is afterwards added. 



Eggs. — From eight to twelve, sometimes as many as fourteen ; 

 buffy-white or cream-colour. Axis, i-y-i'S inch; diam., 1-3. 



Down. — Very dark, sooty-black in colour, with indistinct 

 filamentous tips of ashy-white, and a small but tolerably well- 

 marked star of white in the centre of the down. 



II. THE BLUE-WINGED TEAL. QUERQUEDULA DISCORS. 



Anas discors, Linn. S. N. i. p. 205 (1766). 



Qiierqicedula discors, B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 126 (1883); Saun- 

 ders, ed. Yarn Brit. B. iv. p. 392 (1884) ; id. Man. p. 422 

 (1889); Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 300 (1895). 



Adult Male. — Differs from Q. querquedula in having the 

 wing-coverts bright smalt-blue instead of pale blue, and also 

 by having a crescent-shaped white band between the eyes and 

 the bill of the male ; the throat and sides of the face are sooty- 

 grey, and the crown of the head black ; the under surface of 

 the body is much darker than in Q. querquedula^ and is thickly 

 spotted all over with dusky markings ; bill black ; feet yellow- 



