364 THE GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL 



Family ANATID^E. Genus NETTION. 



Subfamily ANATIN&. 



COMMON TEAL. 



NETTION CEECCA (Linnaeus). 



Anas crecca, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 204 (1766) ; Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B. iii. p. 545 

 (1885); Dixon, Nests and Eggs Brit. B. p. 232 (1893); Seebohm, Col. Fig. Eggs 

 Brit. B. p. 40, pi. 16 (1896). 



Querquedula crecca (Linn.), Macgill. Brit. B. v. p. 48 (1852) ; Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p. 

 507, pi. 426 (1871) ; Yarrell, Brit. B. ed. 4 iv. p. 387 (1885) ; Lilford, Col. Fig. 

 Brit. B. pt. viii. (1888). 



Nettion crecca (Linn.), Salvador! Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 243 (1895) ; Sharpe, 

 Handb. B. Gt. Brit. ii. p. 283 (1896). 



Geographical distribution British : The Teal is a common resident 

 in, and breeds in all suitable localities throughout the British Islands, but becomes 

 more abundant in the northern districts. The residents are largely increased in 

 numbers during autumn, not only by birds passing our Islands on migration, but by 

 individuals that remain all the winter. It frequents the coasts during winter as 

 well as inland swamps and waters. Foreign : Palaearctic region, more southerly 

 in winter ; Oriental region in winter. The Teal is a summer visitor to and 

 breeds in Iceland. It breeds throughout Arctic Europe and Asia as far north as 

 lat. 70, but south of the Arctic Circle (lat. 66J) it becomes more local and rare. 

 South of that limit, however, it breeds in the Azores and Madeira, very sparingly 

 in South Europe, but more freely in Holland, Denmark, Germany, and Southern 

 Scandinavia. During winter it is generally distributed throughout the more 

 temperate and southern portions of Europe, and in Northern Africa, as far south 

 as the Canaries in the west, and Abyssinia in the east. It also winters in con- 

 siderable numbers in the basin of the Black and Caspian Seas. The Asiatic 

 birds pass through Turkestan, Mongolia, and the Amoor Valley on migration (a 

 few remaining to breed), and winter in Arabia, Persia, India, Ceylon, Burmah, 

 China, and Japan. This Teal has been known to stray across Behring Strait into 

 Alaska, where it has been captured in June ; whilst on the east of America it 

 occasionally visits Greenland, and the eastern coasts between Labrador and North 

 Carolina. 



Allied forms. Nettion carolinense, the Nearctic representative of the 

 Common Teal, a " British " species, and dealt with fully in the following chapter. 



