294 



ANATTN^. 



a, tri-coloured bar of purple red, black and white, except the four first 

 feathers, which are grey at base and black at the tip ; tertials brownish 

 grey ; greater wing-coverts glossy black ; lesser wing-coverts grey, 

 marbled with yellowish or fulvous white ; median coverts rich chestnut 

 brown, varied in some with orange brown, the tips of the feathers 

 nearest to the speculum broadly bordered with black ; bill brownish 

 black or dusky leaden, tinged with reddish beneath ; irides dark 

 brown ; legs pale orange. 



Length.— 19-6 to 21-5, wing 10- 75 to 11-5, tail 3-9 to 4-2. 



The Female is smaller, has a light superciliary streak ; the head on 

 the crown is black mixed with greyish white; sides of the face fulvoua 

 white with brownish streaks ; neck in front spotted with dark brown, 

 and marked on the breast with crescentic bands of dark and pale 

 brown ; chin and throat white ; abdomen white ; back deep dusky 

 brown, the feathers edged with buff; lesser wing-coverts greyish 

 brown, edged paler ; speculum dull white ; tail dark brown, marbled 

 with pale buff, brown and white. 



Hab. — Central and South Europe, and nearly throughout India; found 

 in Sind, Beloochistan, Afghanistan and Persia, also in the Punjab, N. W. 

 and Central Provinces, Oudh, Bengal, Central India, Kutch, Guzerat, 

 the Concans and Deccan ; recorded also from Nepaul, Gilgit, and E. 

 Turkistan ; it is also met with on the Continent of Europe, in Spain 

 and Italy, also in Iceland and Siberia, as well as in the northern parts 

 of Africa and India generally. In Sind it is numerous on the lakes, 

 dhunds, &c., during winter, and especially on the Munchur, arriving 

 about the middle of November. 



Gadwall are considered excellent for the table, especially during the 

 first two months of their ari'ival, when they usually feed on rice and 

 young shoots of the sprouting wheat crops. Later on they affect the 

 jheels and feed on crustaceans and fry of fish, and though then rather 

 fishy in taste, the flesh is not despised when better game is not to be had. 

 The localities preferred by the Gadwall after dusk are generally lakes, 

 jheels and ponds covered with long herbage, but during the day it 

 frequents open waters, as the broads of the Indus. 



Chaulelasmus angustirostris, Menetnes; Bp. F. Ital. t. 47, 

 i., 2; Gould. B. Fur. pi. 373; Str. F. i. 262; iii. 273; vii. 493, 523; 

 Murray, Edbk., Zool., Sfc, Sind,, p. 235 ; Hume, Game B. Ind. p. 237. — 

 The Maebled Teal, 



" The male has the forehead, crown, occiput, and nape brownish 

 white, with numerous narrow, close-set, wavy, irregular, dark brown 

 bars, which become more speckly on the occiput, where also the 

 ground colour is a more rufescent brown ; feathers immediately 

 round the eye very dark brown; a broad irregular stripe over the 

 eye, and a large patch on the side of the head behind the eyes, moder- 

 ately dark brown, shading into the very dark brown immediately 

 surrounding the eyes ; the whole space between the sides of the upper 

 mandible and the dark feathers surrounding the eye, the whole sides 

 of the head below the dark eye and ear patch, the whole chin, throat 



