184 
NATURAL HISTORY 
TEAL. 
The Teal is the smallest of the duck kind, 
weighing only twelve ounces. The breast 
and belly are of a dirty white, inclining to a 
grey tint ; the back and sides under the wings 
are curiously varied with lines of white and 
black; the wings are brown, and the tail is 
of the same colour. They live chiefly upon 
cresses, chervil, and some other weeds, as 
well as upon seeds and small animated be- 
ings that swarm upon the water. This bird, 
for the delicate taste of its flesh, and the 
wholesome nourishment it affords the body, 
deservedly claims the first place among those 
of its kind. f 
