ae THE BLUE-WINGED TEAL. 
Recognition Marks.—‘Teal” size; white facial crescent of male; grayish 
blue wing-coverts distinctive (except from the following which is rare and other- 
wise quite different). 
Nest, of grasses, etc., lined with feathers, on the ground. Eggs, 6-12, 
greenish white, or dull buffy. Av. size, 1.80 x 1.28 (45.7 x 32.5). 
General Range.—North America in general, but chiefly eastward; north to 
Alaska, and south to the West Indies, Lower California, and northern South 
America. Casual in California. Breeds from Kansas and southern [Illinois 
northward. 
Range in Ohio.—Abundant spring and fall migrant. Formerly summer 
resident in northern portion of state. 
BECAUSE of the nature of their food, which consists chiefly of insects, 
the Blue-winged Teals are much less hardy than their Green-winged kin, 
and most of them retire to the Gulf States in winter, or even to the tropics. 
On this account, also, they are the latest of the migrant ducks in spring, appear- 
Taken on the Licking Reservoir. Photo by the Author. 
WHERE THE TEALS WOULD NEST. 
ing commonly about the middle of April, and lingering until the first week in 
May. ‘They arrive paired, but are much less frequently observed than in 
fall, when they appear in considerable numbers. 
Sluggish streams, lagoons, and channels choked with vegetation, are 
the favorite places of resort for this bird. Our reservoirs and lake marshes 
afford ideal conditions, and I am inclined to think that if spring shooting 
