496 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
the tail-coverts much pointed and margined with pale 
yellowish brown; lesser wing-coverts darkish grey ; 
the greater coverts of the secondaries tipped with 
white, except a few nearest the body, which are 
tipped with pale chesnut; the primary quills dark 
greyish brown; speculum on secondaries velvety 
black, glossed with green—on those nearest the 
body a very bright glossy green; tertials, the outer 
web of the one next the secondaries velvet-black, the 
rest like the primary quills; the tail the same, the 
feathers much pointed, the breast buff, spotted with 
black; belly paler, nearly white, and not spotted ; 
vent black; central under tail-coverts black, the rest 
pale buff; legs, toes and webs brownish grey. The 
male Teal has the same change of plumage in the 
summer as the Mallard, and becomes at that time 
much more like the female. The female has the 
head dark brown, streaked with pale and reddish 
brown; cheeks and sides of the neck pale’ whitish 
brown, spotted with black; the back and scapular 
feathers dark brown, marked and margined with 
whitish and reddish brown; the wings are much the 
same as in the male; the chin pale whitish brown; 
throat the same, speckled with black; breast, flanks 
and thighs dark brown, mottled with pale brown; 
belly nearly white; under tail-coverts the same, 
spotted with dark brown. 
The eggs are of a uniform white, tinged with 
buff. 
