congregates in immense numbers, in decoys it does not fly in such large flocks as many other Ducks, from
twenty to twenty-five Teal being a considerable number. I have once known o f a flock o f sixty, but this is
a very singular occurrence.”
Unlike most other kinds o f birds, all the Ducks undergo a second seasonal change, and the Teal among
their number: during the spring and the early part of summer the male is dressed in gay attire,
which, after the breeding-season, is exchanged for a more sombre livery, so closely assimilating to that of
the female that it is not easy to distinguish one sex from the other ; this plumage is carried until late in
the autumn, when it is again exchanged for the gayer dress.
The flight of the Teal is dashing and spirited ; it rises directly from the water, and flies off in a
straight line, or threads with vast facility through the branches o f the alders and other trees growing by the
sides of the little nooks and secluded places in which it is frequently flushed. Wonderfully rapid, indeed,
is the flight o f this bird when fairly on the wing, or when it comes sweeping round the sportsman, who
may be on the qui vive for a shot, and who must be quick, indeed, if he wishes to bag any of the flight.
On the water the Teal is light and buoyant, swimming high above the surface, and displaying its fine
plumage to the greatest advantage, particularly the beautiful buff stripe near the scapularies o f the male ; on
the land it has none of the awkward gait of the diving-ducks, but walks with ease and comparative elegance
o f movement.
The Teal readily becomes semi-domesticated, and will breed in the ponds and lakes of the pleasure-
ground, even in such situations as the Zoological Gardens in the Regent’s Park. The decoys, in which the
greater number sent to our markets are taken, differ much in their character ; some are great open sheets
o f water, like Fritton in Suffolk, while others comprise a number of ponds, as at Nacton in the same
county. In that first named, Mallards, Pintails, Widgeon, and Teal are often to be seen indiscriminately
mingled ; but at Nacton it is far otherwise : there each pond is tenanted almost exclusively by a single
species, the Teal always going to the smallest and the highest up the glen—a circumstance of great advantage
to the owner, G. Tomline, Esq., who, through his clever decoy-man, Skelton, can obtain a dozen Teal
any morning he pleases, without disturbing the Mallards and other birds below. I shall not easily forget
how much I was interested by the sight presented to me on visiting this peculiar decoy, nor Mr. Tomline’s
kindness in forwarding to me from time to time examples o f all the Duck tribe, taken therein in their finest
states o f plumage, for the furtherance o f the present work—an act of courtesy and liberality which I have
much pleasure in here acknowledging.
“ The well-known Teal,” says Mr. Jerdon, “ is one o f the most abundant o f the visitors to India. It
frequents tanks and rivers, often in immense flocks. Large numbers are netted or caught in various ways to
supply the Tealeries. It is strictly a night-feeding species ; and about sunset immense flocks may be seen
and heard flying in different directions to their feeding-grounds.” In Cunningham’s ‘ Ladakh, Physical,
Statistical, and Historical,’ it is mentioned that he “ shot three Teal on the Saraj Dal, a small lake at the
head of the river Bhaga, at an altitude o f 16,000 feet.”
That ardent lover o f nature, and excellent sportsman, St. John, speaking o f the Teal as seen by him in
Sutberlandshire, says it “ can scarcely be called a winter bird with us, although occasionally a pair or two
appear ; but in spring they come in numbers to breed and rear their tiny young in the swamps and lochs.
Nothing can exceed the beauty and neatness o f this miniature Duck. It flies with great swiftness, rising
suddenly into the air when disturbed, and dropping as quickly after a short flight. In spring the drake has
a peculiar whistle ; at other times the note is a loud quack. A pair o f Teal, if undisturbed, will return year
after year to the same pool for the purpose o f breeding. Like the wild Duck, they sometimes hatch their
young a considerable distance from the water, and lead them immediately to it. In some o f the mountain
lakes the Teal breed in great numbers. When shooting in August, I have occasionally seen a perfect
cloud of these birds rise from some grassy loch.”
The eggs are of a lengthened form, measuring one inch and nine lines in length by one inch and four lines
in breadth : they are o f a creamy white, and eight to twelve in number. The nest is composed o f grasses,
pieces of flags and various kinds of herbaceous plants, and lined with down and feathers.
In North America our Teal is represented by a distinct species, the Querquedula Carolinensis, which much
resembles it ; but the males of the Transatlantic bird are easily recognized by the absence o f the buff stripes
on the back, and thé presence o f a light-coloured crescent on either side o f the breast, just in front o f the
wing.
The accompanying Plate represents a male and a brood o f young, of the size o f life, with a reduced
figure of a female in the distance.