442 ANATID.E. 



1596. Nettium formosum. The Baikal Teal or Clucking Teal. 



Anas formosa, Georyi, Reise Russ. Reich, p. 168 (1775). 



Anas glocitans. Pallas, Kon. Svensk. Vet.-Ak. Handl. xl, p. 26, pi. i 



(1779). 

 Querquedula glocitans, Blyth, Cat. p. 305 ; Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 808 ; 



Hume, S. F. viii, p. 412. 

 Querquedula formosa, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 494 ; viii, p. 494 ; id. Cat. 



no. 966 ; Hume fy Marsh. Game B. iii, p. 225, pi. ; Barnes, Birds- 



Bom. p. 411. 

 Nettion formosum, Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 240. 



Coloration. Male. Forehead and crown, a band from beneath 

 the eye to the throat, chin and throat black, the crown-feathers 

 often with brown tips ; a crescentic green band from eye to eye 

 round the nape, widening behind ; three black streaks from behind 

 it, one on the hind neck and one on each side, the latter converging 

 but not meeting below ; sides of head and upper neck buff, the 

 two areas meeting behind the throat across the fore neck, but 

 each divided by the black line from the eye ; narrow borders to 

 all black areas on head and neck white ; back, shorter scapulars, 

 sides of breast, and flanks very finely vermiculated with dark 

 grey and white; longer scapulars lanceolate, the outer webs rufous 

 outside, black inside, inner webs silky brownish white; inter- 

 scapulars (sometimes the middle of the upper back also) brown, 

 the feathers pale-edged; lower back and rump greyer; upper 

 tail-coverts brown, with whitish edges inside ; tail-feathers and 

 quills dark brown, speculum formed by outer webs of secondaries, 

 greenish bronze near the coverts, then black and with pure white 

 tips, tertiaries with some velvety black on the outer webs, 

 narrowly bordered by brownish buff; wing-coverts brown, the- 

 greater secondary coverts with rufous tips ; breast pale brownish 

 vinous with small round black spots ; on each side of the breast is 

 a transverse white band just under the bend of the wing; abdomen 

 white ; under tail-coverts black, with pale reddish-brown outer 

 edges, the longest coverts whitish. 



Female. Upper parts, wings, and tail brown, with paler edges to 

 the feathers, crown darkest ; speculum as in the male, but the 

 rufous and bronze-green bands duller ; a buff spot on each side of 

 the head in front of the lores, another under each eye ; sides of 

 head and neck buff' or pale rufous speckled with brown ; lower 

 parts white, except lower fore neck and upper breast, which are 

 light rufous brown with dark brown spots. 



Bill dark bluish brown ; irides chestnut-brown ; feet light 

 greyish blue. Tail-feathers 14. 



Length 15'5 ; tail 3*1 ; wing 8-25 ; tarsus 1*4 ; bill from gape 

 1*9. Female rather less. 



The female may be distinguished from that of N. crecca by its 

 speculum and by the whitish loral spot. 



Distribution. Chiefly Eastern Siberia, China, and Japan, breeding 

 in the north of the area ; an occasional straggler is found in 

 Western Asia or in Europe. Only a few cases of this bird's 



