THE GARGANEY. 503 



victims, who, in their flight, hurry on to the " purse," and 

 are caught and dispatched at leisure. All this time the 

 coy-ducks, if well trained, have remained at the mouth of 

 the pipe, feeding, and unconsciously enticing new comers 

 into the snare. 



That this method of capturing wild fowl is effective, 

 may be inferred from the fact that decoys of a precisely 

 similar kind have been worked ever since the time of 

 Willughby (1676), who describes them at length. 



THE GAKGANEY. 



ANAS QUERQU^DULA. 



Crown dusky ; over the eye ^, white band extending down the neck ; throat 

 black; neck chestnut-brown streaked with white; breast pale yellowish 

 brown, with crescent-shaped black bars ; back mottled with dusky grey 

 and brown ; speculum greyish green bordered above and below with white ; 

 bill dark brown ; irides brown ; feet grey. Length sixteen inches. Eggs buff. 



THIS elegant little bird visits us in March and April, 

 being at that time, it is supposed, on its way to the south. 

 Though not among the rarest of the tribe, it is now of 

 unusual occurrence, but was formerly so regular a visitor 

 in the eastern counties, that it acquired the provincial 

 name of " Summer Teal," and young birds were commonly 

 seen on the Broads of Norfolk in July and August, dis- 

 tinguishable from young Teal by the lighter colour of 

 their plumage, more slender habit, and greater length 

 of neck. The nests were supposed to be built among 

 the thickest reed beds, but were so carefully concealed, 

 that their existence was only inferred from the appearance 

 of the young brood. 



I am informed by the Rev. W. S. Hore that an instance 

 of the Garganey breeding in the Broads of Norfolk has 

 occurred within his own experience. 



