494 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



dark brown, margined with pale whitish brown ; 

 lesser wing-coverts pale grey, but more tinged with 

 brown than in the male ; the greater wing-coverts 

 dull greyish brown, tipped with white ; the primary 

 quills dusk}*- brown ; secondaries the same, tipped 

 with white ; tertials the same, margined with white ; 

 the chin uniform dull white, tinged with pale brown ; 

 the feathers of the breast and flanks dark brown in 

 the centres, margined with the same colour as the 

 chin ; under tail-coverts the same light brown, 

 spotted with dark brown. 



The egg is a uniform buff colour, about the same 

 size as that of the Teal. 



TEAL, Anas crecca. The Teal is a tolerably com- 

 mon visitor to this county in winter, at which time 

 it is to be found in some of our larger ponds in con- 

 siderable flocks, and singly or in smaller flocks in 

 the various pools and streams : it also frequents the 

 coast and the tidal rivers. Yarrell says it makes its 

 appearance about the end of September, which would 

 seem to be about the time of its arrival here, as I 

 have occasionally shot it on the 1st of October: it 

 returns northward to breed in the spring; a few, 

 however, remain in England throughout the year 

 and breed, but I am not aware that they do so in 

 this county. 



This bird is easily kept in confinement, and has 

 bred in the Zoological Gardens, Yarrell says, regu- 

 larly for five seasons in succession, though restricted 



