250 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



them. The beak of the Wigeon is comparatively very short, 

 and the back and scapulars of this bird are finely vermiculated, 

 especially in winter. Again, the Common Teal has the back 

 vermiculated in a striking manner, and its beak, although longer 

 than that of the Wigeon compared with the size of the bird, is 

 rather short. Both these birds are abundant in parts of Greece 

 in winter, according to Lord Lilford. Sundevall seems to 

 identify the larger of Athenseus' boscades with the Sheldrake, 

 the smaller one with the Wigeon, and the phascas with the Com- 

 mon Teal. Belon, on the other hand, gives la sarcelle, or the 

 Teal, as the equivalent of boscas and phascas, and Billerbeck 

 suggests that boscas was the Wild Duck. 



The identification of the bird named penelops is much more 

 difficult, the data being so scanty. Aristotle merely mentions it 

 among the heavier water-birds, while Aristophanes, who refers 

 to it at least twice, gives us no further information. I have not 

 found anything in Athenseus and iElian. Ion, however, applies 

 the epithet "purple- or crimson-streaked" to a bird called by 

 him penelops. Alcaeus says that it has a variegated neck and 

 long wings, and Ibycus that it is many-coloured, and has a neck 

 of glancing or changeful hue. These statements of Ion, Alcseus, 

 and Ibycus I have had no opportunity of checking, but they are 

 given on the authority of Schneider, who was a very reliable 

 scholar. Again, Stephanus (' Thesaurus Grsecse Linguae ') gives 

 a scholium on Aristophanes, which states that the penelops is like 

 netta, but of the size of a Dove (peristera). Pliny speaks of 

 certain birds, called penelops, being found in a lake in Africa, 

 from which a certain river Crathis flowed towards the Atlantic 

 (Hist. Nat. xxxvii. 11). Assuming that these notices refer to the 

 same kind of bird — and such assumption is a bold one — it would 

 appear that penelops was a lake or river bird with long wings, 

 and variegated plumage in which purple or crimson was con- 

 spicuous, the neck being of striking brilliancy or variety of 

 colour ; in addition, there is the above-mentioned scholium, the 

 value of which is uncertain. I know of no duck-like bird likely 

 to have been known by Aristotle which answers reasonably well 

 to this description. The Common Teal, with its moderately long 

 wings, green, buff, and deep chestnut head and neck, and green, 

 purple, and other colours of the wings, seems to approach nearest. 



