Chinese Teal. 
The 
T his furprlzlng uncommon Bird is about the Size of our Teal^ or rather larger, if there be: 
any Difference : Its Colours are as beautiful as the Form of its Wings is rare. 
The Bill is like that of a common ^ealy of a dull Reddilh-colour ; the Eyes are of a Hazel-' 
colour ; the Sides of the Head, from the Bafis of the Bill to the Ears^ are White, in the Middle^ 
of which Spaces the Eyes are placed j the Crown of the Head is of a fine Green-colour; froin> 
above the Eyes backward there pafles on each Side a Bar of Purple Feathers 5 below thefe Bars the 
Feathers are Green, on the hind Part of the Head ; all thefe Feathers on the Head are very long,, 
which form a Creft, or Topping, which it can raife a little, or let fall behind the Neck, as the 
Figure reprefents 5 The Feathers on the hind Part of the Neck, and a little Way down the fore 
Part, are narrow, and fharp pointed, like thofe on the Necks of Cocks^ of a pleafant Red-colour, 
inclining very little to a Yellow Cafi: ; the Breaft is of a Red-Wine Colour, or a little more inclin- 
ing^ to Purple ; at the Bottom^ of the Neck, on each Side of the Breaft, is a Spot of black and 
white Bars alternately fucceeding each other, tranfverfly placed : The Back and covert Feathers 
of the Wings are of a dark Brown, or Dulky-colour, with a changeable Luftre of Blue and 
Green : the long or outer Quills of the Wings are of a Black or Dark Colour, their outer Webs- 
near their Bottoms being edged with White i The middle Quills are of a very fine changeable 
blue Green-colour, tipped with White: Three or four of the Quills next the Body are brownifh,. 
with their outer Webs edg’d with White, as are fome of the Feathers that fall between the Back., 
and Wings. What gives this Bird its extraordinary Figure is two Feathers, one amongft the. 
Quills of each Wing, which, when the Wings are clofed, rife above the Back in the Manner the 
Figure reprefents them ; thefe Feathers are of a dull Orange, or bright Bay-colour, on their upper 
or broader Webs, edged toward their Points with Black; the narrow or lower Webs are of a fine 
Blue, except their Points, which are Bay, like the upper ; the Shafts of thefe Feathers are White v. 
•—See the Feather drawn feparate from the Bird in the Print. The Tail is Brown, with a Glofs’ 
of Blue; the Belly and Coverts beneath the Tail are White ; the Side Feathers, which fall partly 
over the Wings, are of a light Cinerious Brown, with tranfverfe arched Lines of White and 
Black alternately placed ; the Legs and Toes are of an Orange-colour the Webs, between the 
Toes Dufky the Claws Black. 
I drew this Bird at Richmond in from the living Bird kept in the Gardens of Sir 
Matthew Becker^ Bart. I find in Kempfer^s Hiftory of Japan an Account of a Bird, which I think 
can be no other but the above deferibed ; it is as follows: ‘‘ Of Bucks allb there are feveral dif- 
ferent Kind^ one Kind ,. particuIarJy, I cannot forbear mentioning, becaufe of the furprifinp 
Beauty of its Male, call’d Kinmodjui^ which is fo great, that being fhew’d , its Pidure in 
- Colours^: 1 could hardly believe my own.Eyes till I faw the Bird itfelf,. it being a very common 
one ; its Feathers are wonderfully diverfified with the fineil Colours imaginable ; about the 
Neck and Breaft chiefly, they are Red ; the Head is crowned with a mod magnificent Top- 
“ ping; The Tail rifing obliquely, and the Wings ftanding up over the Back in a very Angular 
“ Manner, afford to the Eye a Sight as curious as uncommon.” — See this Quotation 
©f the above Hiftory, and in 2 ^^. x. a fmall Figure agreeing with my Drawing, lhave obferved 
this Bird with its Female feveral Times figur’d together in colour’d Chinefe Pidures, of the more 
curious Sort, in which, the Males are colour’d near like what I have deferibed the above,c-^but the 
Females are always reprefented all Brown. The white Flower; with which F have decorated the 
ground Work is after Nature,, and is found growing in ail Waters round about London in the 
M'ontlis of May and Junc^. 
