610 ANSER ALBIFRONS. 



and flattened, but presently narrowed and convex, the dorsal 

 line sloping to the unguis, which is circular, convex, and 

 decurved ; the sides sloping ; the edges arched, marginate, 

 with twenty-eight oblique lamellse, of which the outer ends 

 are dentiform and triangular ; the lower mandible with the 

 intercrural space long and rather narrow, the lower outline 

 of the crura a little convex, the edges sloping inwards, and 

 having about forty lamellse. 



The nostrils are medial, lateral, longitudinal, narrow- 

 elliptical, four-twelfths long, pervious, in the anterior and 

 lower part of the oblong nasal space, which is covered by 

 membrane, and parallel to the ridge. The eyes are small, 

 their aperture three-twelfths. The legs are rather short and 

 strong ; the tibia bare for half-an-inch ; the tarsus com- 

 pressed, covered all round with sub-hexagonal scales, of 

 which the anterior are larger. The first toe is very small 

 and free, the third longest, the fourth little shorter; the 

 anterior scaly on the first joint, scutellate in the rest of their 

 extent, the outer with a thick margin, the inner edged with 

 a thin two-lobed expansion ; the outer interdigital membrane 

 emarginate, the inner straight on the edge. The claws are 

 small, arcuate, rather compressed, obtuse, that of the middle 

 toe dilated internally and rounded. 



The feathers of the head and upper neck are very narrow, 

 on the latter disposed into ridges and grooves ; those of the 

 fore part of the back and wings large, broad, abrupt, and 

 curved ; the scapulars very large ; of the hind part of the 

 back smaller, flatter, ovate, and less close ; of the breast 

 ovate and rather small ; of the sides very large, much curved, 

 abruptly terminated. The wings are broad and rather long, 

 extending a little beyond the tail, of twenty-six quills ; the 

 second primary longest, the first a quarter of an inch shorter ; 

 the first and second cut out on the inner web, the second 

 and third on the outer ; the secondaries broad and rounded, 

 the inner elongated. The tail is very short, rounded, of 

 sixteen broad, rounded feathers, the lateral an inch shorter 

 than the medial. 



The bill is orange-carmine, with both the ungues white- 

 The iris hazel, the edges of the eyelids orange. The feet 



