GRAY TEAL 
265 
four young birds flying with their adults. In another place he speaks of a brood of 
small young in down with the parents on one of his tanks. 
Status. Enough has been said under Distribution to enable the reader to form 
a general idea as to their abundance. In some places they even exceed the Australian 
Black Duck in numbers, and in many localities they appear to be at least second in 
abundance. They are sent to the markets of Adelaide in thousands (Mellor, in 
Mathews, 1914-15) and are said to be stiU very numerous in the interior of South 
Australia (S. A. White, 1914). In North’s (1913) opinion there has been no apparent 
diminution in numbers in New South Wales, where it is the most plentiful of all 
ducks, but on the lower Murray River it has diminished very greatly in recent years, 
and there is now only one where there were five hundred twenty years ago (S. A. 
White, 1914). A correspondent of mine, Mr. Belchambers, in a recent letter, con- 
firms this observation. 
Enemies. The enemies of Australian ducks have been discussed in connection 
with the Australian Black Duck {Anas superciliosa). North (1913) says the young 
of the Teal are preyed upon by water-rats. Black-cheeked Falcons and Harriers. 
The Whistling Eagle {Haliastur sphenurus) is said to be very fond of them (D. Le 
Souef, 1918a). The introduced enemies, including the fox, domestic cat, and ferret, 
are necessarily important factors in determining the future standing of this and other 
Australian species. One cannot help having grave misgivings as to the future of aU 
birds on that ornithologically unhappy continent. 
Food Value. The Gray Teal is an excellent bird for the table, and as aforesaid, 
great numbers are sold in the markets. 
Hunt. “ The Blacks on the Darling River capture large numbers in nets made for 
the purpose, seventy -three being caught in one haul at which I was present” (Ben- 
nett, in North, 1913). 
Behavior in Captivity. This has been one of the more uncommon ducks in 
confinement in Europe, and particularly so in America. The London Gardens ac- 
quired eighteen specimens in 1879, but of these none bred until 1882 when four were 
hatched and reared (P. L. Sclater, 1882). Later they bred a number of times, hatch- 
ing their eggs in July. Among English amateurs the species has been bred by Mr. 
Wormald (in litt.). On the Continent it was successfully bred in Tours in 1883 
(Noenty, 1884). So far as I know it has never been bred in this country, and has 
been seldom acquired excepting by the New York Zoological Society. 
In England the price varied from £3 to £4 the pair before the War. In America 
