384 THE GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL 



well and lightly, but never dives unless wounded, and even then 

 makes but poor attempts to do so. The Teal is most frequently 

 seen on the water, but occasionally it walks about the banks 

 with a waddling gait, and may be often observed standing on 

 one leg with its head drawn in, or even buried beneath the 

 scapulars. The Teal is both a day and night feeder where left 

 unmolested, but in districts where it is much disturbed it varies 

 its time, and obtains most of its sustenance at night. Under 

 these circumstances, especially if the flock be fairly large, the 

 birds spend the day on some large sheet of water, and retire at 

 night to the marshes and small ponds to feed. They usually 

 change their quarters towards sunset, and as they follow certain 

 routes backwards and forwards, afford fairly good sport on flight. 

 The Teal obtains most of its food, either whilst floating in the 

 shallows, from time to time turning upside down in true orthodox 

 Duck fashion, or when paddUng round the weedy margin of the 

 water. This food consists of grass, and seeds, shoots, roots, and 

 leaves of aquatic plants ; grain, rice, insects and their larvae, 

 small mollusks, and worms. The usual alarm note of the Teal 

 is a rather weak but shrill quack, but the call-note, which may be 

 heard incessantly as the pair of birds swim to and fro, is a harsh 

 Rail-like crrick. The flesh of the Teal is excellent for the table. 

 In India great numbers of these birds are kept in confinement 

 and fattened for food, especially by the Anglo-Indians whom a 

 hard fate condemns to residence in the sultry Plains during the 

 hot season. 



Nidification. — The breeding season of the Teal in the 

 British Islands commences early in May, but is a month or more 

 later in higher latitudes. In the Arctic regions this Duck makes 

 its nest in similar localities to those selected by the Wigeon ; but 

 with us it is usually placed amongst the dense vegetation, brambles, 

 sedge, heather, or coarse grass, growing by the waterside, but 

 occasionally some distance from it. It is made on the ground, of 

 dry grass, leaves, broken sedge, and reeds, and warmly lined 

 with down from the female. The eggs are from eight to ten in 

 number, in rare instances up to fifteen, and vary from creamy 

 white to buffish white, sometimes with a faint greenish cast. 

 They measure on an average 17 inch in length by i"3 inch in 



