TEAL AND ARCTIC TERN 101 



dark plumage, and is in no way related to either the Swallow 

 or Martin. 

 Plumage. — Sooty - brown ; chin greyish - white; tarsi - feathered ; 

 black bill, feet, and claws. Length. — Seven and a half inches. 



TEAL, COMMON (Querquedula crecca) 



Local Name. — Summer Teal. 



Haunt. — Lakes, etc. 



Nesting Period. — May. 



Site of Nest. — On the ground among aquatic herbage. 



Materials Used. — Rushes, sedges, etc., lined with down. 



Eggs. — Eight to Twelve. Buff-white, tinged with faint green. 



Food. — Grain, aquatic plants, and insects. 



Voice. — Call, "krink;" alarm, " knake." 



Chief Features. — The smallest British Duck, and one of the most 

 beautiful; docile and tame. 



Plumage. — Blackish bill; chestnut crown, cheeks, neck, and throat; 

 at back of eye and round same a glossy green patch with buff 

 margins; black and white upper parts; black, green, and 

 purple speculum, with yellowish-white tips; black rump and 

 tail-coverts; brown tail-feathers; black spots on buff ground 

 on front of neck; white breast and belly; brownish-grey legs 

 and feet. Female mottled-brown, and not nearly so much 

 purple on speculum, if at all. The Drake assumes the dress of 

 the female in July, and keeps it until the following October. 

 Length. — Fourteen and a half inches. 



TERN, ARCTIC (Sterna macrura) 



Local Names. — Pease Crow, White Daw. 



Haunt. — The sea and seashore. 



Nesting Period. — May and June. 



Site of Nest. — Among sand, gravel, or shingle. Nests in colonies. 



Materials Used. — Practically none. 



Eggs. — Two or Three. Olive, buff, stone, greyish-brown, etc., in 

 ground colour, marked with blackish-brown and grey. 



Food. — Small fish. 



Voice. — Call, " kik," or a prolonged " krr-ee," also a sharp " krrick." 



Chief Features. — All the Terns are characterised by their chaste 

 form and appearance, and by their graceful flight. They are 

 splendid fishermen, and capture their prey with great cleverness. 



Plumage. — Bill blood-red; legs and feet coral-red; black head and 

 nape; pearl -grey mantle; white rump and tail; underneath 

 the pearl-grey is paler. Length. — Fourteen and a half inches. 



