THE TEAL. 273 



the habits of the Teal very accurately in his 'In- 

 structions to Young Sportsmen' 



"If you spring a Teal, he will not soar up and 

 leave the country, like a wild duck, but will most 

 probably keep along the brook, like a sharp-flying 

 Woodcock, and then drop suddenly down. But you 

 must keep your eye on the place, as he is very apt 

 to get up again, and fly to another spot before he 

 will quietly settle. He will frequently, too, swim 

 down stream the moment after he drops ; so that if 

 you do not cast your eye quickly that way, instead 

 of continuing to look for him in one spot, he will 

 probably catch sight of you and fly up, while your 

 attention is directed to the wrong place. If the 

 brook in which you find him is obscured by many 

 trees, you had better direct your follower to make 

 a large circle, and get ahead of, and watch him, in 

 case he should slily skim away down the brook, and, 

 by this means, escape from you altogether." 



The female Teal, like the females of all the duck 

 tribe, has little to recommend it in appearance, al- 

 though the observant naturalist does not fail to notice 

 that its dusky brown and gray plumage is peculiarly 

 well adapted to its concealment during the time it is 



