Unlefs molefled the Teal will return annually to the fame 

 haunts ; a curious inftance of which came to our knowledge a 

 few months ago ; fome .gentlemen were out on a (hooting 

 excurfion, in the fens of Lincolnfliire, in the winter of 1810, 

 and coming fuddenly on fome Teal, a fliot was fired, which 

 brought one down, which being only wounded in the wing,' it 

 was taken off clofe to its body, and as the bird appeared un- 

 hurt elfewhere, it was conveyed alive to the eftate of one of 

 the party, fituated in Kent, where it was turned out with the 

 other fpecies of ducks, and foon became familiar and accompa- 

 nied them to the farm-yard ; it foon recovered and feemed 

 to be quite reconciled to its domeftic alTociates, till the return 

 of mild weather, which happened early in February, when it 

 grew uneafy, and kept fluttering about almoft continually, 

 and refufed its food ; in a few days the bird was milTed and 

 was not to be found. In the month of January 1812, fome 

 of the fame party paid a fecond vifit to the fens, and on re- 

 turning to the fpot where they met with fuccefs laft feafon, 

 they found more Teal, fome of which were killed, and 

 among them the bird loft the preceding year, which was 

 clearly identified by marks on its feet, as well as by its wanting 

 a wing. 



A variety of this fpecies is frequently confounded with the 

 Garganey, under the name of Summer Teal, 



