NETTION CRECCA. 171 



lar^'e sheets of water, a good bag may be made Ijefore the birds get scared 

 and leaAe altogether, or else rise far out of shot. 



Nowhere in Bengal have I found Teal to be of a very confiding nature, 

 but that they are so in some parts of their Indian habitat is well known. 

 Hume writes : — ''They are, as a rule, when met with near villages, or in 

 densely populated portions of the country, excessively tame — too tame to 

 render shooting them possil)le, unless you really require them for food. 

 Not only will they let you walk up to them when they are on a village* 

 pond — as close as you please, — but when you have fired at them and killed 

 two or three, the remainder after a short flight will again settle, as often as 

 not, Mell within shot. Nay, at times, though fluttering a good deal, and 

 looking about as if astonished, they will not rise at all at the first shot, 

 despite the fact that some of their comrades are floating dead before them." 



In open waters such as rivers, &c., and when on the wing. Teal often 

 fly bunched and close together, and form shots which much encourage 

 the bad habits of shooting into the hroicii, quite small flocks often providing 

 from half a dozen to a dozen Teal to a couple of barrels of an ordinary 

 smooth-bore. Of course, even into the Iroicn one must hold fairly straight, 

 as the Teal yields to no duck in the speed of its flight, in addition to which 

 the sudden sweeps and turns they take often disconcert the gunner. 



They stand a fair amount of shot unless hit well forward, when a singh^ 

 pellet of No. 6 or 7, or even of No. 8, may suffice to bring the bird to bag. 



Hume says that they swim easily, but not very rapidly, and that they 

 cannot dive to much purpose. 



Whilst agreeing with his estimate of their swimming powers, I can 

 hardly, however, do so with that of their diving. If shot in open Avater 

 they can l)e brought to hand easily, for they do not dive for long, and not 

 particularly quickly ; but if shot amongst reeds they are wonderfully 

 smart in hiding and in dodging in and out amongst them, as also in 

 secreting themselves l^y holding on to the weeds so that they lie entirely 

 under the Avater except the tij)S of their l)ills. I found that in the 

 Sunderljunds they nearly always made for the water-lilies, hiding under 

 one of the huge leaves. 



They Avalk Avell, and can even run if necessary ; but they do not care 

 for tJie land, nor do they rest on it, but on the Avater Avhere tliere is coAcr. 

 They rarely feed on really dry land, but frequently in pad<ly-fields. Sic, 

 Avliere there are a fcAv inches oidy of mud and Avater. As already said, 

 they are jirincipally night feeders, but Avhere ((uite undistur])ed they feed 

 during all but the hottest hours of the day, say from 11 a.m. to about 15 I'.ai. 



