THE TRUE GEESE. 227 



been observed in various parts of Northern Europe. A large 

 eastern form, Chc?i nivalis (Forst. ; Salvad. Cat. B. xxvii. p. 

 86), is found in the United States on migration, and reaches 

 the Bermudas. Its breeding-home is not yet known, but is 

 believed to be in Arctic America to the east of the Mackenzie 

 River. This large race only differs from the true C hyper- 

 boreus in size, and it is extremely doubtful if it can be separated 

 from the latter bird specifically. 



Habits.— Nothing particular has been recorded of the habits 

 of the Snow-Geese in their arctic home, where they frequent 

 the tundras, or barren ground, feeding on grass and insects, 

 and in the autumn on berries. 



Nest.— A hollow in the ground, lined with down. 



Eggs.— Dirty white in colour, and usually five in number. 

 Axis, 3'i5-3'4 inches; diam., 2-05-2-2. 



THE TRUE GEESE. GENUS ANSER. 



Anser, Briss. Orn. vi. p. 261 (1760). 



Type, A. anser (L.). 



The true Geese are found in the northern parts of the Old 

 and New Worlds, breeding in the high north, and migrating 

 south in winter. Four species occur in the British Islands, 

 and they are not always easy to distinguish, but they have 

 been very clearly differentiated by Mr. Howard Saunders in 

 his " Manual " and by Count Salvadori in the " Catalogue of 

 Birds." The nail at the end of the bill is white in A. anser 

 and^. albifrons, and blackish in A.fabalis and A. brachyrhyn- 

 chiis^ and the colours of the bill and feet are usually distinc- 

 tive characters, but too much stress must not be laid on these 

 points, as they do not always hold true, while possibly some 

 hybridisation takes place among the Geese, which may account 

 for the appearance of the characters of one section unexpectedly 

 among birds of the other section. 



I. THE GREY LAG GOOSE. ANSER ANSER. 



Anas anser, Linn. S. N. i. p. 197 (1766). 



Anser ferns, Macg. Br. B. iv. p. 589 (1852); Salvad. Cat. B. 

 Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 89 (1895). 



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