286 
allen’s naturalist’s library. 
I know of a nest with two fresh eggs having been found in 
February, _ when the ground was covered with snow. A shep- 
herd, seeing the hole in the snow, put his head in, expectin" 
to get a rabbit, when out flew the female bird.” ° 
Eggs. — Eight to ten in number ; buffy-white or cream-colour, 
some greenish-white. Axis, rbs-i-g inches ; diam., i-2-r3S. 
Mr. Seebohm says that they are, as a rule, smaller than those 
of the Garganey, but they can only be distinguished with 
certainty by the down. This is sooty or deep chocolate-brown, 
with a very conspicuous star of white, the tips not being whitish’ 
but brown, scarcely visible. 
II. THE AMERICAN TE.AL. NETTION CAROLINENSE. 
Anas carolinensis, Gm. S. N. i. p. 533 (1788) : Seebohm, Br. B 
111. p. 549 (1885). 
Querquednla carolinensis, B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 127 (1883) • 
Saunders, Man. Br. B. p. 421 (1889). ’ 
Nettion carolmense, Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. n. 230 
(1895)- 
{Plate LVin. Fig. 2.) 
Adult Male — Very similar to that of N. crecca, but distin- 
guished by the whitish crescent on each side of the upper breast ■ 
the whitish line which envelops the green patch on the sides 
of the head, and passes to the base of the bill, is scarcely 
visible, and the scapulars are uniform pale grey j bill black ■ 
feet light fleshy (horn-colour when dried) ; iris brown. Total 
length, 13-5 inches; culraen, 1-5; wing, 7-3; tail, 2-95; tar- 
sus, I’l. 
Adult Female. — Not to be distinguished from that of N. 
crecca. 
Range in Great Britain. — Three specimens of this little Teal 
have been captured in England, one near Scarborough in 
1852, another in Hampshire, and one near Kingsbridge in 
South Devon. Full particulars are given by Mr. Howard 
Saunders in his “Manual.” 
Range outside the British Islands. — An inhabitant of North 
America, breeding chiefly north of the United States, and 
