AQUATIC FOWL. 171 



white ; sides and flanks, yellowish brown, which is often, more or 

 less, spread over the other parts. 



THE GARGANY, OR BUMMER TEAL, 



Is a very beautiful species, something smaller than the widgeon, 

 but not so small as the common teal ; it is migratory, is usually 

 taken in the decoys in Somersetshire, in April ; it is found in 

 winter through all England and Ireland, but more abundantly 

 in the Orkneys. It is also found in Sweden, Russia, and Siberia, 

 and has been known to breed in Norfolk. The bill of this beau- 

 tiful species is dark lead colour; irides light hazel; the upper 

 part of the head dusky brown, streaked with dusky ; over the eye 

 is a broad white line, passing down the side of the neck ; the 

 cheeks and upper part of the neck purplish, marked with minute 

 lines of white, pointing downwards; the breast marked with 

 semicircular lines of brown and black ; chin black ; belly dirty 

 white, streaked with dusky towards the vent ; the sides crossed 

 with numerous small, black, undulated lines; coverts of the 

 wings cinerous gray ; the larger ones tipped with white ; scapulars 

 long and narrow, the upper ones striped with black, white, and 

 ash-colour, the rest cinerous gray ; the speculum on the secondary 

 quill feathers is greeu, tipped with white ; the tail is dusky ; legs 

 lead colour ; tail possesses fourteen feathers. The female is brown 

 above, streaked with dusky ; the white streak behind the eye is 

 very faint, and the green on the wing wanted. It much resembles 

 the female of the common teal ; a practised eye will easily dis- 

 tinguish it. 



THE COMMON TEAL 



Is the smallest of our ducks; weight about twelve ounces; 

 length fourteen inches and a half. The bill is black ; irides light 

 hazel ; head and neck bay ; on the side of the head a green patch, 

 passing backwards, bordered beneath with a whitish line; the 

 lower part of the hind neck, upper part of the back, and part of 

 the scapulars, as well as the sides of the body, a mixture of black 

 and white, in fine, undulated lines; lower part of the neck 

 (before), and breast whitish, marked with roundish spots of black ; 

 belly of the same colour, without spots ; vent black, bounded with 

 buff-colour ; wing coverts brown ; quills dusky ; some of the 

 secondaries wholly black, and others glossy green, on their outer 

 webs, forming a speculum on the wing ; the covers immediately 



