FALCATED TEAL 
163 
gance of the true Teal or the Mallard. It appears short, chunky and large-headed for 
a surface-feeding duck. The long sickle-shaped tertials and short tail give the body 
a very stumpy appearance. Heinroth (1911) says that a male in the Berlin Gardens 
always kept his head and neck well drawn in, so that the mane lay on the upper part 
of his back. The writer never saw these crest-feathers lifted, and the impression 
created was more like that of a diving duck. 
There are no recorded observations as to the flight, except that it is said to be 
swift and Teal-like which probably means that it is more erratic than that of the 
Mallard. In Assam it appears singly or in pairs, more rarely in small parties. But 
in northern China, Prjevalski (1878) speaks of their arriving on spring migration in 
large numbers and associating very commonly with other species of ducks. 
Voice. The voice of the male is a short low trilling whistle (Walton, 1903) or, 
according to Prjevalski (1878), a “tolerably loud and piercing whistle.” Although I 
have only once or twice heard the note myself I agree with Heinroth (1911) that it is 
decidedly Teal-like. The note of the female is the typical Mallard-like quack, said 
to be five times repeated (Finn, 1915). 
The trachea of the male is about 180 mm. long, and at its bifurcation carries a 
bulla ossea which is roughly spherical in shape and faces to the left and forward. 
It measures 23 mm. in longest diameter and 16 mm. in shortest diameter. 
Food. There are no detailed notes available, but the food seems to be largely 
of a vegetable nature (Stejneger, 1885; Radde, 1863). 
Courtship and Nesting. The time of breeding, so far as one can judge, is not 
particularly early. They are said to nest early in June in Transbaikalia (Taczan- 
owski, 1873) and in eastern Siberia they begin to nest in late May (Taczanowski, 
1893) continuing through June and perhaps into July (Baker, 1908). In captivity 
they nest very late indeed; in Mr. Hugh Wormald’s collection later than any other 
duck except the Ring-necked Teal. June 1 was his earliest date. 
The display as observed in captivity was first noticed by Finn (1915a). He 
described it as essentially like that of typical ducks, but the erection of the long 
crest made the head look enormous. He continues: “There was the same rear-up, 
with the head bent down, followed by an up-jerk of the hind parts; the long sickle- 
shaped tertials, so noticeable in this species, seemed little if at all expanded, and were 
not so prominent in the display as one would have expected from their abnormal 
character. But what especially attracted my attention, as I had noted the display 
of the male of this duck some time before, was that the females displayed simulta- 
neously with the males, and with the same gestures.” 
Mr. McLean of East Dereham told me that the display reminded him very much 
of the Gadwall’s, with the same up-and-back head throw. 
