300 
ANAS BRASILIENSIS 
Enemies. Nothing recorded. 
Damage. Probably none. 
Food Value. The flesh of this bird has been described as very good (Wied, 1832; 
R. G. Harris, in liti.). 
Hunt. Both this duck and the Muscovy are hunted by the natives in the interior 
of Brazil (Minas Geraes). Mr. Harris writes me that the weapons used are ordinarily 
old-fashioned shot-guns, but in out-of-the-way places the natives still occasionally 
catch them alive in traps. Sometimes live birds so caught can be bought in small 
settlements for about $1.50 each in our money. 
Behavior in Captivity. Although a somewhat rare bird in collections, it has 
been regularly kept in Europe for some time. The famous old Knowsley collection, 
which was sold in 1851, possessed specimens, but the London Gardens did not acquire 
any until 1864. These Teal bred in the Gardens in 1878 and 1879, and again in 
1886 and 1888. They were also kept in a number of private collections, where, as a 
rule, they have only occasionally bred. Mr. Wormald writes me that he has kept 
them, but not reared them, but this as well as many other species of ducks have been 
bred by Earl Grey {in litt.), and they were reared at Kew Gardens a number of years 
ago. In London they were rarely to be had; the price was £3 to £4 the pair, and 
doubtless at times much more. 
In France the species seems to have been first successfully bred by M. Audap 
(1887) on whose ponds a female laid eight eggs and began to sit on April 19. On the 
18th of May six eggs hatched and four young were reared. These were taken care of 
by the male, while the female, as related before, proceeded to lay a second clutch. 
M. Courtois (1880) says this was the only species of duck wLich did not lay eggs on 
his place. Neither Rogeron (1903) nor Mr. Blaauw {in litt.) ever bred them. Ap- 
parently they never were bred in the Berlin Gardens (Heinroth, 1911). 
In this country the species has aways been extremely rare in collections, for most 
of the live South American water-fowl are shipped to Europe. It has never been 
bred in confinement here. The New York Zoological Gardens have purchased them 
at times for $9.00 each, a price much lower than the private individual w’ould have 
to pay. 
It seems to do well enough in captivity. Thirty-four specimens in the London 
Gardens lived about three years on the average, with a maximum of ten years, six 
months (P. C. Mitchell, 1911). 
These Teal rank with the most beautiful of smaller water-fowl and it is a pity that 
more should not be imported so as to make them less expensive. I have never kept 
