TEALS. 231 



is a mass of decaj^ed vegetable matter lined with down and feathers, 

 in which it lays ten or twelve eggs, about an inch and three- 

 quarters in length and an inch and a quarter in breadth. North 

 of the Tay they are found occasionally all the year round, returning, 

 according to Mr. St. John, year after year to breed, if left undis- 

 turbed in the process of incubation. 



"If we compare," sa3rs Mr. McGillivray, "the Common Teal 

 [Atlas crecca, Linn.), with the Garganey [xinas circia), the Gadwall 

 {Anas strepira), and the Pintail Duck [Anas acuta), we find slight 

 differences in the form of the bill, in the elongated lamella of the 

 upper mandible, in the length of the neck and tail ; but they are 

 all so intimately connected that, unless each species can be con- 

 verted into a genus, there can be no reason for separating them." 

 He classes them accordingly under the general name of Teal. 



This bird makes its ajDpearance in France in spring and autumn. 

 It breeds in all the temperate climates of Europe, and pushes on 

 towards the south as the winter advances. 



Of the Teals there seem to be three, probably four, species, 

 which in our climate may be divided into three — -namely, the 

 Common Teal, Anas crecca; the Summer Teal, Anas circia; and 

 the Little Teal, or Black Diver, Anas nigra. 



According to Columella, in his work " De Re Rustica," the 

 Romans succeeded in domesticating the Teal ; but the bird has 

 reverted to an entirely wild state, which is much to be regretted, 

 for it would have formed a valuable addition to the poultry-yard, 

 the flesh of the Teal being held in great estimation. 



The group of Ducks usuallj^ denominated Teal, Mr. Swainson 

 has formed into the sub-genus Bosckas, in which he also includes 

 the Mallard, or Wild Duck. " As this is the most numerous 

 group," says this writer, " so it exhibits a greater diversity of form 

 among the species. They are all, however, characterised by a 

 bill longer than the head, whose breadth is equal throughout ; 

 sometimes indeed a little dilated, but never contracted at the tip, 

 while the laminae of the upper mandible are entirely concealed 

 by the margin of the bill." "The beautiful Anas formosa, which 

 is essentially a Teal, differs," says a writer in the " Penny 

 Cyclopaedia," " in the greater length of the tail, thus connecting 

 it more closely with the Pintail and other long-tailed species ; 



