402 ENGLISH BIRD LIFE 



crested head and white neck, Avith black back and 

 grey under surfaces, but he is more readily known 

 by his red bill and the band of chestnut-red flecked 

 with black which crosses his breast. 



The Goosander is a larger bird, a migrant from 

 northern latitudes, breeding much less commonly 

 in Great Britain, and lacking the crest and the 

 chestnut band of the common ]\Ierp:anser. 



Geese 



Of the eleven species of Geese included in the 

 British list, six are extremely rare and all are winter 

 visitors only. At one time the Grey-Lag, from 

 which the domesticated birds are derived, was 

 resident in England, nesting regularly in certain of 

 the fenny districts. Now it is a rare comer, 

 although it is said still to breed in the extreme 

 north of Scotland. Of the remaining five, the 

 White-fronted Goose occurs annually in small 

 numbers, more especially in the southern counties 

 of Ireland. It is of a brownish-grey hue and is 

 distinguished from its congeners by its white fore- 

 head. The Bean- and Pink-footed Geese are also 

 regular autumnal migrants to this country, and 

 were at one time deemed to be identical in species. 

 In their plumage (brownish-grey) and general 

 character they are extremely alike, the distinguish- 

 ing features being that the Pink-footed is smaller, 

 w^ith a shorter bill, and that the feet are of a dis- 

 tinct pink as compared with the more orange colour- 

 ing of those of the Bean Goose. Lord Lilford 



