432 TEAL. 
Abyssinia. It is distributed over Asia, from 70° N. in summer to 
Siam in winter ; in all probability it breeds on the islands of the 
Aleutian chain, and it has been obtained in Alaska in June. 
Throughout North America, however, its representative is JV. 
carolinense, the subject of the next article; but our Teal is an 
occasional wanderer to the eastern seaboard, from Labrador down 
to North Carolina ; and has been obtained in Greenland. 
The nest—placed in tufts of heather or herbage, or under low bushes 
on the borders of morasses and pools—is composed of dry grass and 
leaves, to which a lining of down is added during the progress of 
incubation. The 8-ro and even 15 eggs, usually laid early in May, 
are buffish- or creamy-white with a faint tinge of green: measure- 
ments 1°8 by 1'2 in. Many instances are on record of the affection 
of this bird for its brood, and a female has even been known to 
follow her ducklings into captivity. The food, obtained by night, 
on or near fresh-water, consists chiefly of the seeds of aquatic 
grasses, grain, rice (in warm countries), worms, slugs and insects. 
The Teal has repeatedly bred in the Gardens of the Zoological 
Society and elsewhere ; while in the wild state hybrids between it 
and the Gadwall, as well as the Wigeon, are sometimes produced ; 
one of the latter being the “ Bimaculated Duck” of some authors. 
The adult male has the bill blackish ; crown, nape, cheeks and 
throat rich chestnut ; round and behind the eye an elongated patch 
of purplish-green enclosed within narrow lines of buff, while a stripe 
of the latter colour runs from the forehead to the base of the bill; 
upper parts delicately vermiculated with black and white; on the 
secondaries a wing-spot of green and purplish-black, tipped 
with buff; rump and tail-coverts almost black ; _ tail-feathers 
ash-brown ; chin black; front of neck spotted with black on 
a warm buff ground; breast and belly white; flanks delicately 
vermiculated with black and white; under tail-coverts black in the 
centre and warm buff on each side; legs and toes brownish-grey. 
Length 14°5 in.; wing 7°25 in. From the middle of July till 
October the drake is in female dress, and I have found brown feathers 
on the back as late as December. The female is mottled with brown 
on the upper parts, and has a less brilliant wing-spot. The young 
resemble her, but have darker centres to the under feathers and 
paler edges to the wing-coverts. 
The North American Summer-Duck, Aix sfonsa, is kept and 
breeds freely on many ornamental waters, and wanderers are some- 
times shot. 
