TEAL, MALLARD, AND WIDGEON 



kinds ; iirst, the teal, precisely like the English one, which 

 b^n to arrive directly the monsoon is over, and are 

 generally found on tanks, together with the duck (widgeon 

 and pochards). The birds are often so numerous that the 

 s|K)rtsman, creeping up cautiously to close range, may 

 bring down a dozen or more with both barrels, for they 

 rise and fly so closely packed together. They are well 

 worth shooting, too, being excellent eating. 



Another very good eating bird is the blue- winged, or 

 gangamy teal, which arrive in vast flocks later on in the 

 cold season. The cotton and whistling teal are also found 

 in large numbers on the vast sheets of water which do not 

 dry up in the hot season ; but they are not worth powder 

 and shot, their flesh being both fishy and muddy. 



As the season advances, widgeon and pochards swarm 

 in their thousands on the larger lakes, especially in Sind, 

 and the sportsman may fire away as many cartridges as 

 he can make, or has the means to purchase, should he be 

 so extravagantly inclined. 



Our excellent English mallard, or a bird absolutely 

 similar in every respect, will form the major portion of the 

 bag ; and next, the spotted-bill duck and the gadwall — 

 smaller duck than the mallard, with mottled-brown back, 

 * liestnut patch on the wings, and white belly. Then the 

 pin-tail duck, a beautiful bird with its very peculiar long, 

 pointed tail, brown head, prettily blue-mottled back, 

 white breast, and blackish slate-brown legs and feet. It 

 larger than the mallard, flies at great speed, and is very 

 'j,i)od eating. 



Widgeon are somewhat rare. They are much smaller 

 than the mallard, and when flying make a shrill whistling 

 •^ound. The head and upper part of the neck of this 

 rd are of a chestnut-red with a pale-yellow band over the 

 crown. The bill is of a bright-bluish colour, breast light- 

 pink, back mottled-gray, and tail blackish-grcy-bluc lead 

 colour. 



The red-crested pochard has a m<^ unmistakable red 

 head, surmounted with a yellow crest or band ; Iwick and 

 wings brown, with white patches at both ends of wings; 

 while the lower part of neck, breast and belly arc black, 

 and the tail, legs and feet bright red ; a most brilliant little 



3»7 



