Chap, viii.] TEALS. 1 65 



droves of the Johnny Penguin {Pygosceks fccniata) and King 

 Penguins, and establishments of these penguins were to be 

 seen on small level grassy spaces far up the hill slope. 



Teal were shot in great numbers by our party. The teal 

 of Kerguelen's Land {Quen/nedula Eatoni) is peculiar to the 

 island and the Crozets. It is somewhat larger than our common 

 teal, and of a brown colour, with a metallic blue streak, and 

 some little white on the wing. It is enormously abundant all 

 about Kerguelen's Land, near the coast. I killed in one day 

 twenty-seven teal, and similar bags were frequent. Four or 

 five guns used to bring back usually over 100 birds. 



The teal feed mamly on the fruit of the Kerguelen cabbage, 

 and are extremely good eating. They were the greatest treat 

 possible to us, when living, as we necessarily were, almost 

 entirely on preserved meat. 



The teal are to be found mostly in flocks, or when breeding 

 in pairs. They are, where they have not been shot at by 

 sealers, remarkably tame, and require to be kicked up almost 

 to afford a shot. At one valley near Three Island Harbour 

 in Royal Sound, which had probably not been visited by man 

 for thirty or forty years, perhaps hardly ever, after tramping 

 some distance after teal, without success, I saw a flock get up 

 from the bed of a river which ran down the valley, about 150 

 yards off. I thought the birds must be wild and had been 

 recently shot at ; but no, they got up merely to come and look at 

 me. They pitched about 40 yards off, and then set off running 

 towards me in line, like farm-yard ducks, seven of them in a 

 row, headed by a drake. As a sgorlsijia.n, I hesitate to describe 

 the termination of the scene. Only those who have been long 

 at sea know what an intense craving for fresh meat is developed 

 by a constant diet of preserved and salt food. The teal were 

 most excellent eating, and there were many mouths to feed. 

 My rule was always to shoot them on the ground if I could, 

 and as many at a shot as possible. When I could not do this 

 I took them flying, and with tolerable success. 



Some of the teal were breeding at the time of our visit ; 

 some with young full-fledged and already away from the nest ; 

 others with eggs. The nest is a neat one, placed under a tuft 

 of grass, and lined with down torn from the breast of the 

 parent bird. There were five eggs in one nest that I 

 found. 



The duck, when put up off the nest, to effect which she 

 requires almost to be trodden upon, or when found with her 

 young away from the nest, flutters a few yards only, as if 

 maimed, and pitches again, and cannot be frightened into a 

 long flight. It is curious that the bird should have retained 



