WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. 611 



are orange-red, the claws greyish-white. The head and 

 neck are greyish-brown, the upper part of the former of a 

 darker tint, becoming black anteriorly, that colour forming 

 a ring, anterior to which the feathers are white on the fore- 

 head. The general colour of the back is deep brownish- 

 grey, the feathers of its fore part terminally margined with 

 brownish-grey ; those of its hind part pure dark grey. The 

 smaller coverts toward the edge of the wing, and the primary, 

 are light ash-grey ; the other coverts are brownish-grey, 

 edged with white. The basal part of several of the outer 

 primaries is ash-grey, the rest greyish-black, the secondaries 

 black, the shafts of all the quills white ; the fore part of the 

 neck is light greyish-brown, the breast is of a paler tint 

 passing into greyish-white, but irregularly patched with 

 black ; the feathers of the sides grey, terminally margined 

 with brown and white ; the hind part, sides of the rump, 

 and upper tail-coverts pure white. The tail-feathers are 

 brownish-grey, broadly tipped with white, that colour in- 

 creasing from the middle outwards. 



Length to end of tail 28 inches ; extent of wings 54 ; 

 wing from flexure 17; tail 5^; bill along the ridge ly^-, 

 along the edge of lower mandible lf\ ; tarsus 3 ; third toe 3, 

 its claw T 6 ¥ . 



Female. — The female is similar to the male, but smaller. 



Variations. — Individuals differ considerably in size, as 

 well as in colour. On the upper parts of the body brown 

 sometimes prevails over grey, and sometimes the reverse ; 

 and on the breast the black transverse patches, usually large 

 and numerous, are sometimes reduced to a few. The white 

 on the fore part of the head also varies in extent, and is 

 sometimes tinged with orange or brown. 



Habits. — The White-fronted Goose makes its appearance 

 with us in the end of October, disperses over the country, 

 remains all winter, and departs about the beginning of 

 April. Its habits are similar to those of the other species, 

 but have not been studied with sufficient care. Montagu 



