MAEECA. 445 



Coloration. Upper part of head very dark brown, almost uniform, 

 passing below the eye into the white of the lower cheeks, chin, 

 throat, and fore neck ; round the eye is a ring of white feathers, 

 much broader in some specimens than in others ; upper parts, 

 wings, and tail dark brown, the edges of the back-feathers and 

 scapulars slightly paler ; wing-speculum formed by the outer webs 

 of the secondaries ; these are velvety black, except two or three, 

 the 7th to the 9th, in the middle, which are greenish bronze, all 

 except the last two or three tipped with buffy white, the first 

 broadly bordered with the same ; greater secondary coverts also 

 white or buff ; lower parts from the neck dull brown with broad 

 pale edges to the feathers. Sexes alike, except that the bronze of 

 the speculum is more coppery in the female. 



Bill greenish to plumbeous lilac, nail black ; irides reddish 

 brown ; legs and feet greenish blue to plumbeous (Hume). 



Length of male 17 ; tail 2-9 ; wing 7'5 ; tarsus 1'4 ; bill from 

 gape 1*7. Females are slightly smaller : wing 7*25. Bectrices 16. 



Distribution. This species has hitherto only been found on 

 South Andaman Island, where it is a permanent resident. It 

 has not been observed on the North Andaman, the Cocos, or 

 the Nicobar Islands. It was supposed by Lord Tweeddale to be 

 identical with N. yibberifrons of Java, Timor, Flores, and Celebes, 

 but Salvadori has separated the two, and I agree with him after 

 comparing them. 



Habits, fyc. The Andaman Teal is not a common bird and is 

 generally found either in flocks or in pairs frequenting both salt 

 water and fresh, sometimes hiding amongst the mangroves in 

 creeks during the day and feeding on freshwater pools or in rice- 

 fields at night. The nest was found by Captain Wimberley in 

 August ; it was of grass and placed in a paddy-field. The egg is 

 cream-coloured, close-grained, and smooth, and measures 1'93 

 by 1-43. 



Genus MARECA, Stephens, 1824. 



Bill small, shorter than the head, depressed and slightly 

 narrowing towards the tip, nail large ; wings long, pointed ; tail 

 short, cuneate, of 14 feathers ; tarsus scutellate in front, hind toe 

 small with a narrow lobe. 



Three species are referred to this genus, two being peculiar to 

 America. 



1599. Mareca penelope. The Wigeon. 



Anas penelops (err. typ.), Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 202 (1766). 



Anas penelope, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 527 ; Blyth, Birds Bunn. 



p. 166; Scully, Ibis, 1881, p, 593. 

 Mareca penelope, Blyth, Cat. p. 305 ; Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 804; 



Hume, 8. F. i, p. 261 ; Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xliii, pt. 2, p. 176 ; 



Butler fy Hume, S. F. iv, p. 30 ; Davids. # Wend. S. F. vii, p. 93 ; 



Hume, ibid. p. 494; id. Cat. no. 963; Scully, S. F. viii, p. 363; 



Hume $ Marsh. Game B. iii, p. 197, pi. ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 92; 



