160 
Capt. C. C. Abbott on the Birds 
35. Mareca chiloensis (King). (Wigeon.) 
This is one of the wildest and scarcest birds in East Falkland. 
I have never found its nest; but it must breed late in the 
season, for young ones were seen in a pond near Port Louis in 
January. On being disturbed, the mother took them to the 
salt water, and the next day they had disappeared. On the 7th 
of April, I shot some Wigeons on the north shore with imperfect 
wing-feathers : were these young birds, or were they moulting ? 
36. PcECILONETTA BAHAMENSIS (Linn.). 
A straggler from the mainland, of which one specimen has 
been obtained by Capt. Pack. 
37. Dafila urophasianus (Vig.) ? (Pintail.) 
The Pintail Duck occurs rather sparingly in the interior of 
the island on the freshwater ponds, where it is resident all the 
year round. This Duck never utters any sound or note, either 
when rising or flying in the air—a singular exception to the 
general custom of the Duck-tribe. 
38. Anas cristata (Gm.). (Grey Duck.) 
This Duck is very common everywhere, and although some¬ 
times seen in freshwater ponds, generally frequents the vicinity 
of salt water. The old birds are always found in pairs in the 
same spot; they live upon shell-fish, and have certain boundaries 
of water along the coast, upon which they will not allow others 
of their species to encroach. They breed inland among the 
grass, and on the edges of ponds, laying five eggs in a beautifully 
made nest covered with down. The time of laying is the begin¬ 
ning of October, and frequently a month later. The crest on 
the back of the head of the male is larger than that of the 
female, but their plumage is otherwise similar. 
39. Querquedula creccoides. (Teal.) 
This Teal is more plentiful in the interior than in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of civilization. It is found in large flocks in some of 
the freshwater streams. I have taken the nest of this bird as 
early as the 18th of September, and I have been told that they 
lay in August. The nest is more difficult to find than that of 
any other bird that I know of. It is placed in the dry grass in 
