210 THE GUN: AFIELD AND AFLOAT 



accounts for its name, as also the appellation " Sea- 

 pheasant " by which it is known in some quarters. The 

 male Pintail is a graceful bird with finely-marked 

 plumage ; in the female brown is the prevailing colour, 

 and this bird has sometimes been confounded with the 

 hen Wigeon by those not well acquainted with the two 

 species. From point of bill to the end of the long tail- 

 feathers an adult male Pintail will measure 28 in. ; the 

 female has a tail somewhat longer and more pointed 

 than many of the ducks, but without the elongated 

 central feathers of the male. A Pintail in good 

 condition will weigh as much as 2f Ib. 



THE TEAL, Anas crecca, is the smallest of our wild- 

 ducks. It is a tolerably familiar species, both as a 

 summer resident and a winter visitor. Teal have always 

 been held in the highest esteem by the wild-fowler as 

 thoroughly game little fowl, that in many situations will 

 tax his skill in handling the shot-gun very severely. Teal 

 are remarkably speedy of flight, they spring from the water 

 like a flash, and few ducks are more difficult to bring 

 down than teal flying singly over the shooter's stand at 

 evening flight-time. The drake Teal is most beautifully 

 plumaged, the female being much more quietly clad in 

 brown. Apart from coloration of plumage Teal have 

 ever been greatly admired by reason of their elegant 

 proportions, dainty trimness, and breezy alertness. This 

 diminutive duck measures only some 14^ in. in length, 

 and weighs up to 1402. when thoroughly plump. Teal 

 are excellent for the table. The GARGANEY, A nas circia, 

 sometimes called Summer Teal, is rather larger than the 

 Teal but is smaller than the Wigeon. Although occasion- 

 ally nesting here, this duck is of small concern as a sport- 

 ing bird, as it does not winter in these islands. 



