222 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



184. White-fronted Goose, Anser albifrons, Gm. ; 

 "Wiz" (Hasselquist, No. 36). 



A good many were seen on the Damietta branch, particu- 

 larly near Mansoura, where we fired at a large flock, which 

 did not leave the neighbourhood, but returned again to the 

 same sandbank. Between Cairo and Minieh we saw none, 

 but on the 3rd of March we met with large flocks of 

 Anatidce, and obtained two of these Geese. After that, the 

 sandbanks were entirely deserted by Ducks : no one should 

 come to Egypt for that sort of sport later than January, 

 Most Egyptian specimens of the White-fronted Goose, in- 

 stead of being barred are nearly white on the under-surface, 

 which has generally been supposed to be the immature 

 plumage ; albeit, I have known one in confinement live five 

 years and not get these bars. 



185. Egyptian Goose, Chcnalopcx cugyptiaais (Linn.).* 



Not seen in the Delta, but very common south of Cairo ; 

 indeed we saw the first flock before we were clear of the 

 town. On our return journey a portion of them had 

 migrated, yet as late as the 20th of May over 150 were 

 seen upon one sandbank at Zouyeh ; and from the quantity 

 of feathers and numerous tracks, it was supposed they had 

 been there a long time. A dropped Q<g^ was picked up 

 there. They were however generally in pairs, and were 

 easily obtained by sailing on them in a punt. Mr. Buxton 

 killed four couples, of which the heaviest one \veighed 6^ 

 lbs. ; but a pair which he shot on the 19th of May only 

 turned the scale at 9 lbs., so that there seems to be a great 



'" I have seen a Pink-footed Goose (marked Bean Goose) in Lord 

 Londesburgh's Egyptian collection at the Scarborough Museum, but 

 whether really killed in that country I cannot say. 



