NETTTON CRRCCA CREfTA 205 



in Scotland they sometimes breed on the moors in amongst the 

 heather, bnt they always select some dip which keeps more or less 

 damp and where the water ma\' occasionally collect. 



The nest is a large unshapely mass of vegetable stuiif, rushes, 

 weeds, and such-like, lumped together in a mass, with a depression 

 in the centre containing a thick lining of down. 



In Finland, Dresser found the nest placed under bushes or in 

 clumps of grass, often at some distance from the water. 



Legge's note on the nesting of this Teal is so complete, yet 

 short, that T reproduce it here. He writes : — 



" This species breeds in May and .Tune, resorting to extensive 

 marshes, heaths near water, and large peat liogs. The nest is made 

 on the ground among grass or ruslies or in thick heather, in which 

 latter case it is placed sometimes in the middle of a clump, and so 

 entirely concealed from view that the bird cannot be seen on its 

 nest. The nest is made of dead flags, rushes, grass, reeds, etc., 

 with a capacious interior, whicli is amply lined witli down plucked 

 from the bird's breast. The number of eggs varies from eight to 

 fourteen, and occasionally as many as twenty have lieen found in a 

 nest ; they are small for tiie size of the bird, oval, but slightly more 

 obtuse at one end than the other, of a uniform creamy white or pale 

 huff. There is a greenish variety sometimes found, very like the 

 liintail's eggs. A series before mo from the Petchora, taken by 

 ^Ir. Seeliobm, varies in length from I'oS to 1'7 inch, and in lireadth 

 IVom I'lfi to 1'27. The old birds are said to manifest great affection 

 for their young. Macgillivray relates an instance of his finding a 

 brood of young with their mother on a road ; and when be took 

 tliem up to put them to a pond close by. whither he thought the old 

 bird was leading them, she followed him, flnttering round him 

 within reach of his whip. 



''The 'nest-down' is dark brown, with pale whitish centres, 

 hut no pale tippings." 



This bird is said to be a resident in Egypt according to Capt. 

 Shelley and von Heuglin, and to be very plentiful there. 



I have two clutches of eggs which seem to average a great 

 deal longer than most. The two clutches, twelve eggs, average 

 1-76 X I'Hl inches, the longest being 1'83, and the broadest r32. 

 In shape they are broad ovals, very regular, yet all perceptibly 

 smaller at one end than at the other. A few eggs are rather longer 

 comparatively, and these generally have the smaller end rather 



