806 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



Mttller, are eastern Ducks considered to belong to this genus, and 

 there are others from Africa and America. 



Gen. Querqtjedula, Stephens. 



Char.r—Bill of moderate length and of uniform width, slightly 

 raised at the base ; the lamella? not apparent ; the nail small, and 

 the tip obtuse ; wing long and pointed ; tail wedge-shaped, of 14 

 or 16 feathers. 



The Teals, so called, are simply small Ducks, much of the same 

 type as restricted Anas, but with the bill longer and narrower, 

 assuming a semi-cylindric shape ; the lamina?, too, are shorter and 

 less prominent. They are of somewhat slender make, and fly very 

 rapidly. Several species are known, all of small size. 



964. Querquedula crecca, Linn. 



Anas apud LiNNiEUS — Blyth, Cat. 1780 — Sykes, Cat. 222 — 

 Jerdon, Cat. 384 — Gould, Birds of Europe, pi. 362 — Tulsia 

 bigrij Beng. 



The Common Teal. 



Descr. — Male, crown of head, cheeks, front and sides of the 

 neck, ferruginous brown ; on the sides of the head, inclosing the 

 eye, a large patch of deep glossy green, passing off backwards 

 to the nape in the form of a broad band ; back and scapulars 

 beautifully marked with transverse undulating lines of black and 

 white, some of the longer scapulars creamy-yellow, with a portion 

 of their outer webs velvet black ; tail hair brown, the feathers 

 edged with white ; wing-coverts brown, tinged with grey ; the 

 speculum, formed by the tips of the secondary coverts, deep green 

 in the middle, velvet black at the sides, bordered above by a 

 broad yellowish white bar ; chin black ; lower part of the neck in 

 front, and breast, reddish or creamy-white, with round black spots ; 

 abdomen white ; lower tail-coverts blackish-brown, bordered at 

 the sides with yellowish-white. 



Bill blackish ; irides hazel-brown ; legs greyish-brown. Length 

 14-| inches ; win? 7i ; tail barely 3 ; bill at front H ; tarsus 1|-; 

 mid-toe 1-L 



