G R E E N - W I N G E D T E A L 203 



The nest, a pretty structure, is usually placed in the long grass near 

 the borders of lakes or sloughs but is frequently found a long way from 

 water, concealed at the base of some shrub, or clump of willows. It is 

 built in a hollow in the ground carefully lined with soft grasses, weeds, 

 leaves, and down from the breast. As incubation proceeds, down is add- 

 ed and forms a blanket which covers the eggs and keeps them warm dur- 

 ing the mother's absence. The Green-wing is a prolific bird and as many 

 as 18 eggs may be laid; the usual number, however, is from 10 to 12. 

 They are dull white, cream, or pale olive buff in colour and cannot be 

 told from those of the Blue-winged Teal. The average size, is 1.80 by 

 1.35 inches. Incubation lasts from 21 to 23 days and, as the drake deserts 

 the female as soon as the eggs are laid, upon the mother devolves the 

 care and upbringing of the family. 



From the culinary standpoint there is no more succulent morsel 

 than the little Green-wing. Always fat, tender, and juicy, its flesh is rated 

 as the last word in gastronomic delicacies. Twenty minutes in a very hot 

 oven is ample, and an entire duck to each helping! 



Not only on account of its super table-qualities is it valued by sports- 

 men. Although Teals decoy readily, their flight is so erratic and so fast 

 that they provide a real test of the gunner's skill. Before dropping in 

 among the decoys they pass and repass the danger spot, circling and twist- 

 ing in dense flocks. Even after being shot at they rise, circle again and 

 often drop in once more, this time among the floating bodies of their 

 comrades who have fallen to the first fusillade. In rising from the water 

 they spring vertically into the air and make off with the speed of swal- 

 lows. They are frequently mentioned as among the fastest of fliers but 

 their diminutive size gives the illusion of a flight even faster than it 

 really is. Quick as they are on the wing, their habit of flying in dense, 

 closely-bunched flocks renders them vulnerable to the fire of the gunner, 

 and two or more birds will often fall to a single shot. Thev are easily 

 killed. 



