GRAY TEAL 
263 
wet seasons. In Victoria also it is very common (Batey, 1907; A. C. Stone, 1912), while in South 
Australia it is a well-known bird at least in the eastern part. S. A. White (1914a) says it is far less 
common than formerly on the lower Murray River, but Mellor (in Mathews, 1914-15) South 
says thousands are brought to the Adelaide Market. On Lakes Albert and Alexandrina Australia 
it is fairly common (S. A. White, 1913) and it has been found far in the interior, common and breed- 
ing at Dalhousie (S. A. MTiite, 1914) and a few on Cooper Creek (S. A. White, 1917). Recent con- 
tributors to The Emu, 1915-1922, show it to be still abundant in nearly all the watered regions of 
Australia from Victoria to the extreme west of the continent. 
In Tasmania this species is quite common (Littler, 1910; and others). Tasmania 
Its status in New Zealand is not wholly clear. Buller (1888) regards it as a rather rare bird, and got 
most of his from the Province of Wellington. If Hutton and Drummond’s (1905) New 
statement about Anas castanea refers to the present species it may be said that it Zealand 
breeds in the North Island, but occurs only occasionally in the South Island. According to W. W. 
Smith (1889) it is a common bird in parts of the Lake Brunner region (South Island). 
GENERAL HABITS 
Haunts. It is not necessary to enter into the time-honored discussion concerning 
the systematic position of this and the Chestnut-breasted Teal. A full account of the 
facts in the case may be found in Mathews (1914-15). The present species has been 
bred in captivity, and there can no longer be any doubt as to its validity, though con- 
fusion in the field is unavoidable. 
The Gray Teal, which seems to be second only to the Australian Black Duck in 
abundance, is found aU over Australia on fresh-water creeks, rivers, lagoons and 
swamps, as well as on the salt-lakes, and on the seacoast. 
Waeiness. This Teal is described by North (1913) as “exceedingly tame and 
easy to approach before disturbed by too much shooting.” In places where not much 
shot the old birds will bring the young to the water-tanks close by the houses, and 
they become very tame (Carter, in Mathews, 1914-15). Gould (1865) found it 
extremely tame on the little-visited rivers of South Tasmania and in these localities it 
never failed to come flying back down the river over the heads of the party, as they 
were working up the streams in boats. 
Daily Movements. No information. 
Gait, Swimming, Diving. Nothing of interest has been recorded. 
Flight. The flight is rapid, but no faster than that of many other ducks. The 
white bar, anterior to the speculum, is said to be a conspicuous field-mark when the 
bird is on the wing (Mellor, in Mathews, 1914-15; Austin, in North, 1913). Gould 
(1865) considered it less active on the wing than the European Teal. It is a very 
gregarious bird and is frequently seen in large flocks, aggregating thousands. 
