THE TEAL. 277 



birds (cf. Scot. Nat., 1920, pp. 15-20). Elsewhere autumn to spring 

 visitor, uncertain and scarce most parts, but common Tiree and 

 fairly so Uist. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Northern Hemisphere, breeding in tem- 

 perate regions of both continents ; in winter south to Abyssinia, 

 India and China, Mexico and Florida. Accidental in Pribilof Isles, 

 Japan, Greenland, Bermudas, Cuba, and Jamaica. 



ANAS CRECCA 



302. Anas crecca crecca L. — THE TEAL. 



Anas Crecca Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 126 (1758 — Europe. Re- 

 stricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Querquedula crecca (Linnaeus), Yarrell, iv, p. 387 ; Nettion crecca (L.), 

 Saunders, p. 431. 



Description (Plate 6). — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Fore- 

 head, crown, nape, lores, cheeks, sides and front of neck chestnut, 

 when fresh feathers of fore -head and crown with faint subterminal 

 dusky bars and those of cheeks, sides of neck and fore-neck narrowly 

 tipped white ; a cream line commencing at side of chin, passes to 

 base of upper mandible and running parallel with fore -head divides 

 in front of eye, one line going above and one below eye to nape ; 

 between these lines encircling eye, an area of bright metallic -green 

 (in some lights glossed violet -purple) passes backwards to upper- 

 mantle narrowing on nape ; lower -nape where bordering mantle, 

 black glossed violet-purple ; mantle and upper scapulars vermicu- 

 lated blackish-grey and cream, lower-mantle towards centre olive - 

 brown freckled cream, remaining scapulars mouse-grey, some with 

 outer webs vermiculated blackish-grey and cream, others light buff 

 or cream with broad bands of velvet-black on outer web ; back and 

 rump olive-brown or mouse-grey but in some feathers of lower- 

 rump vermiculated cream ; upper tail-coverts black-brown glossed 

 green or purple and edged warm buff ; chin black ; upper-breast 

 cream or light buff, feathers with round dusky or black- brown 

 spots towards tips ; sides of body and flanks vermiculated blackish- 

 grey and cream ; breast, belly and short under tail-coverts white, 

 in some belly and vent more or less barred dusky, central under tail- 

 coverts black, lowest ones edged white, those at side cream-buff, 

 some with broad black subterminal bands ; axillaries and under 

 wing-coverts white ; tail mouse-grey, feathers faintly edged light 

 buff ; primaries sepia, paler on inner webs ; secondaries with outer 

 webs velvet-black, inner webs sepia, tipped light buff, middle 

 feathers with outer webs metallic -green (in some lights blue) and 

 without buff tips, innermost mouse -grey, one next green speculum 

 bordered velvet-black on outer web ; primary-coverts and bastard- 

 wing sepia or hair-brown ; greater coverts hair-brown broadly 

 tipped warm buff or white, forming conspicuous wing- bar varying 

 in depth individually ; innermost greater, median and lesser coverts 

 hair-brown. This plumage is acquired by moult of body -feathers, 



