GARGANEY 237 



the head feathers, thereby displaying his splendid plumage to the 

 very best advantage. This display is varied by a kind of follow-my- 

 leader game, the two coursing round and round, head and stern, 

 and forcing large quantities of water through their beaks, which are 

 buried to the level of the nostrils. 



During this amorous period the drake utters a very peculiar cry 

 a strange crackling note which may be likened to the noise of a 

 high-pitched rattle, or to a stick being swiftly drawn across iron 

 railings. Hence in East Anglia, in addition to its name of " summer 

 teal," it is also called the " cricket teal." 



The care of the young, as usual, falls entirely on the female, and 

 there are no records of instances affording exceptions to this rule, 

 such as have been remarked in the case of other species. 



In regard to the reproductive period, it is interesting to note 

 that the young garganey takes longer to attain sexual maturity than 

 is the case with teal, which not infrequently will breed at ten months 

 old ; with garganey this is rarely the case. 



Finally, it is to be remarked, the garganey retains its eclipse 

 dress longer than any other surface-feeding duck. According to 

 Mr. J. G. Millais, the "breeding" dress is not complete till December, 

 and may even be protracted till February. In this matter, however, 

 it again affords an approximation to the shoveler, wherein also the 

 eclipse dress is longer, though it is never so long retained as in the 

 case of the garganey. Somehow one would rather have expected to 

 find this prolonged existence of the eclipse dress in the gadwall, but 

 in any case it affords another illustration of the contention that this 

 dress answers to the " winter plumage " of the Limicoline birds. 



VOL. iv. 2 H 



