TEAL. 



507 



never observed to drink ; and indeed for many months together had no 

 water offered them. 



This is the only species known to hoot ; besides which it makes a 

 disagreeable screaming- noise. It is a great destroyer of young- pigeons, 

 and frequently resorts to pigeon-houses for that purpose. 



We are glad to find that Dr. Latham is of opinion with us, that the 

 brown owl does not constitute a distinct species. What seems to have 

 puzzled our scientific friend in the former part of his works, was the 

 drawing- of an owl, sent to him by Mr. Pennant, which had yellow 

 irides, and was called Tawny Owl. No such bird, however, exists in 

 England, and we must therefore suppose that the fig-ure had been taken 

 from a preserved specimen in some collection, and might really have 

 been the true Tawny Owl of this country ; but, unfortunately, it is too 

 frequently the case, that persons employed to stuff birds, put in any 

 eyes that may be handy, or perhaps that they think most attractive, 

 without regard to science. 



TEAL (^Querquedula crecca, Stephens.) 



Anas Crecca, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 204. 33.— Gmel. Sysl. 2. p. 532 Lath. Ind. Orn. 



2. p. 872. 100.— Flem. Br. Anim. p. 125 Temm. Man. d'Orn. 2. p. 846— 



Querquedula secunda Aldr. Raii, Syn. p. 147. A. 6 lb. 192. 14.— lb. 148. 9. 



fem. — Will. p. 290. t. 74. — Querquedula Crecca, Steph. — Querquedula minor, 

 Briss. 6. p. 436. 32. t. 40. f. 1. — 76. 8vo. 2. p. 475.— Petite Sarcelle, Buff. Ois. 

 9. p. 265. t. 17. 18.— Common Teal, Br. Zool. 2. No. 290.— Ib. fol. t. Addend. 



Arct. Zool. 2. p. 577. P Will. (Angl.) p. 6. t. 74 Albin, 1. t. 100.— Hayes 



Br. Birds, t. 29.— Lath. Syn. 6. p. 551 . 88.— Supp. p. 276.—Lewin's Br. Birds, 



7. t. 260.— Wale. Syn. 1. t. 76.— Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 21 Wilson's Amer. 



Orn. 8. p. 101 Bewick's Br. Birds, p. 376. 



This species of duck weighs about twelve ounces; length fourteen 

 inches and a half. The bill is black ; irides lig-ht hazel ; head and neck 

 bay; on the side of the head a green patch passing- backwards, bor- 

 dered beneath with a whitish line ; the lower part of the hind neck, 

 upper part of the back, and part of the scapulars, as well as the sides 

 of the body, a mixture of black and white in fine undulated lines ; 

 lower part of the neck before and breast whitish, marked with roundish 

 spots of black ; belly of the same colour, without spots ; vent black, 

 bounded with buff colour; wing coverts brown ; quills dusky ; some of 

 the secondaries wholly black, and others glossy green, on their outer 

 webs, forming a speculum on the wing ; the coverts immediately over 

 these are tipt with white ; the tail is cuneiform, consisting of sixteen 

 brown feathers, edged with whitish ; legs dusky brown. 



The female has the head, neck, back, and sides of the body, brown, 

 the feathers more or less edged with whitish ; belly and vent white ; 

 speculum in the wing like the male. 



The male of this species has a bony labyrinth in the lower part of 



