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 figure 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. — Ib. 192. 14. — Jb. 148. 9. 
fem. — Will. p. 290. t. 74 Querquedula Crecca, Steph . — Querquedula minor, 
Briss. 6. p. 436. 32. t. 40. f. 1. — Ib. 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. — TTii/. ( Angl.) p. 6. t. 74. — Alhin, 1. t. 100. — Haye's 
Br. Birds,!. 29. — Lath. Syn. 6. p. 551. 88. — Supp. p. 276. — Lewin sBr. 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 light 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 
