Family ANATID^. Genus Anas. 



Subfamily Ajva tinm. 



AMERICAN TEAL. 



ANAS CAROLINENSIS— Cw^/Zw. 



Geographical Distribution.— ^«Vzi/^ . Very rare abnormal 

 visitor to the British Islands. The claim of this species to rank as 

 " British " rests on the following recorded occurrences. England : 

 Hampshire (i example of doubtful authenticity), about 1838; 

 Yorkshire (i example), November, 185 1 ; Devonshire (i example, 

 the most satisfactory of the three), November, 1879. Foreign: 

 Nearctic region, more southerly in winter ; extreme northern limit 

 of Neotropical region in winter. Breeds in the Arctic regions of 

 America, from the Aleutian Islands and Alaska in the west to 

 Greenland in the east. Passes the Northern States and Southern 

 Canada on spring and autumn passage, but in these localities a 

 few remain to breed and a few remain to winter ; it also visits the 

 Bermudas occasionally in autumn. It winters in the Southern 

 States, Mexico, the West Indies, and Central America. 



Allied Forms. — Anas crecca, the Palaearctic representative 

 of the American Teal, a British species, dealt with fully in the 

 preceding chapter. 



Time during which the American Teal may be taken.— 

 August I St to March 1st. 



Habits. — The American Teal is not known to differ in its 

 habits in any important respect from the Common Teal. It is 

 migratory in the higher and colder latitudes, sedentary in warmer 

 districts, as the Old World Teal is with us. The haunts it fre- 

 quents are very similar, both in summer and winter. Its flesh is 

 highly esteemed for the table. 



Nidification. — The breeding habits of the American Teal, 



