NETTION CRECCA. 167 



(29) NETTION CRECCA. 

 THE COMMON TEAL. 



Anas crecca, Le(jge, B. of Cey. p. 1083. 



Cluerquedula crecca, Jerdon, B. I. iii, p. 806 ; Hume, Str. FeatJi. i, p. 262 



Adam, ibid. p. 402 ; Butler, ibid, iv, p. 30 ; Hume Sf Davis, ibid, vi, p. 489 ; 



Davids. (^' Wend. ibid, vii, p. 93; Ball, ibid. p. 232; Mtime, ibid. p. 494; 



id. Cat. no. 964 ; Scully, Str. Featli. viii, p. 363 ; Hume ^ Mar. Game-B. 



iii, p. 205 ; Vidal, Str. Feath. ix, p. 93 ; Butler, ibid. p. 438 ; Eeid, ibid. 



X, p. 83 ; Davids, ibid. p. 413 ; Taylor, ibid. p. 467 ; Oates, B. of Brit. 



Burm. ii, p. 285 ; Barnes, B. of Bam. p. 409 ; Hume, Str. Feath. xi, 



p. 346. 

 Nettion crecca, Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 243. 

 Nettium crecca, Bkmford, Fauna B. I. iv, p. 443 ; Oates, Game-B. W, p. 172. 



Descrijition . Adult male. — "A broad band from the back of the eye, down 

 the nape and upper neck, metallic green, sometimes glossy black posteriorly; a 

 narrow white line from the base of the maxilla, running upwards over the eye 

 and the green band, and another from the fore corner of the eye running under 

 the green band ; the remainder of the head and neck rich, rather dark chestnut ; 

 the point of chin or whole chin and edge of lores more or less black ; lower^neck, 

 upper back, inner scapulars, sides of vent, and flanks vermiculated dark brown 

 and white, the vermieulation on the upper part increasing in breadth towards 

 the breast, on the sides of which they become bold black and white bars and in 

 the middle of the breast raerel}' round black centres to the feathers ; remainder 

 of back brown, sometimes slightly vermiculated at the sides ; rump brown, the 

 feathers edged paler ; upper tail-coverts rich brown, edged buff; rectrices brown, 

 edged paler; lower surface white; under tail-coverts buff at the sides, black in 

 the centres ; greater coverts broadly edged white or huffy white ; remainder of 

 coverts and primaries grey-brown ; outermost secondaries black, edged narrowly 

 white, the next three or four metallic-green, and the one next again to them 

 black with a A'ery narrow white margin ; the remaining innermost secondaries a 

 beautiful silvery-broAvn, and the outermost scapulars buff, with broad velvety 

 black diagonal edges. 



" In the adult the bill is black or blackish, brownish on rami of lower 

 mandible. 



" Irides are brown, varying in shade from light hazel to almost black. 



" The legs and feet are commonly grey with a faint olive tinge (the Avebs and 

 claws in all cases dusky), but they vary in shade a little and at times are bluish- 

 grey with a brown shade, and at others a distinctly dark slaty-grey, sepia-gre)% 

 brown, greyish-brown, olive, greenish-olive, dirty greenish-plumbeous, or even 

 plumbeous." (Hume.) 



I have found a green tinge on the tarsus and toes very common, indeed more 

 so than a pure grey or plumbeous. 



