507 



QUEKQUEDULA CRECCA. 



(COMMON TEAL.) 



Anas crecca, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 204 (1766). 



Querquedula crecca, Steph. Gen. Zool. xii. p. 146 (1824). 



Nettion crecca, Kaup, Natiirl. Syst. der europ. Thierw. p. 95 (1829). 



Querquedula subcrecca, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 885, t. 42. fig. 4 (1831). 



Querquedula creccoides, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl. p. 886 (1831). 



Sarcelle (Shiver, French ; Cerceta Menial, Spanish ; Marreco, Portuguese ; Arsa-vola, Italian ; 

 KrceJc And, Work And, Danish; Erik Arid, Norwegian; Kriclc And, Swedish; Kruck- 

 ente, German ; Tschirsk, Russian. 



Mas ad. pileo castaneo, capitis lateribus usque ad nucham nitide viridibus undique linea angusta alba mar- 

 ginatis : mento'nigro : dorse- cinereo late albo et nigro transvermiculato : corpore subtus fulvescenti- 

 albido, maculis nigris ubique notato : hypochondriis albo et nigro transvermiculatis : subcaudalibus 

 nigris. 



Fern. ad. saturate brunnea, dorsi plumis rufo marginatis : macula lorali et gutture toto clare fulvescentibus : 

 corpore reliquo subtus albo, abdomine parum maculato, pectore superiore et hypocbondriis rufo et 

 brunneo mixtis. 



Adult Male. Crown of tbe head, extending to the nape, which is slightly crested, cheeks, ear-coverts, sides 

 of the neck, and throat deep chestnut; sides of the head, extending from just before the eye, deep 

 glossy green, margined both above and below by a narrow line of whitish, which is drawn down from 

 the eye to the base of the bill ; chin blackish ; back grey, everywhere conspicuously vermiculated with 

 black and white ; lower part of the back dark brown, strongly washed with grey on the edges of each 

 feather : upper tail-coverts glossy black, narrowly margined with fulvous ; scapulars grey, vermiculated 

 strongly with black and white like the back, all the feathers long and lanceolate in shape, some of the 

 outer feathers pure white on the inner web, black towards the tip of the outer, forming a conspicuous 

 patch of black and white ; wing-coverts grey, some of the larger ones white, tipped with rusty on the outer 

 web, forming a conspicuous bar ; quills greyish brown, with a very narrow whitish edging, secondaries 

 more decidedly grey, the exterior ones black on the outer web, tipped with white, the inner ones 

 metallic green, then one long feather pure grey on the outer web, edged broadly with black, the rest 

 of the secondaries greyish brown, more or less washed with pure grey; under surface of the body 

 whitish, vermiculated with black and white on the lower neck and sides of the body, also on the 

 abdomen, but here much more indistinctly; upper part of the breast thickly spotted with round 

 blackish spots, which are more thinly distributed over the abdomen ; under tail-coverts black in the 

 centre, whitish along the edge, and having a cream-coloured patch on each side; bill nearly black; 

 feet brownish grey. Total length 125 inches, culmen T55, wing 7'0, tail 2'7, tarsus 08. 



Adult Female. General colour blackish brown, all the feathers margined with rufous-brown, some of the 

 secondaries tipped with white ; forehead and cheeks buffy white, thinly streaked with brown ; a loral 



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