THE BIRDS 

 OF THE BRITISH ISLES 



AiND THEIR EGGS. 



Order ANSERIFORMES. 



Family AN AT I D.^. Geese, Swans, and Ducks. 



The Anatidcp, all swimming birds, have the three toes in 

 front connected by membrane ; they are web-footed. 



Grey Lag-Goose. Anser anser (Linn.). 



The geese which occur in Britain fall into three natural 

 divisions or groups, the first consisting of five species, known 

 as the "grey geese." Of these the Grey Lag (Plate 2) 

 is the only one that nests with us ; the others are winter 

 visitors. A century and more ago the Grey Lag bred on moors 

 and marshes in various parts of England ; now it nests only 

 in the north of Scotland and some Hebridean islands. It 

 breeds in northern Europe and Asia, and winters in the 

 Mediterranean and southern Asia. 



Grey geese are exceedingly variable in size and plumage ; the 

 assertion that any species may infallibly be identified by certain 



Series II. B 



