1917-] Ornitlwloyy of Malta. 491 



iu use. The one giveu is that by which the species is at 

 present locally known. 



215. (21-1) Anser anser (L.). The Grey Lag-Goose. 

 Local uaine : Wizza griza. 



This species appears to be recorded for the first time 

 amongst our birds by Blasius. Giglioli gives the local 

 uanae Wizza selvaggia. This is, however, already occupied 

 by the Beau-Goose ; so that the name here giveu, which 

 is ucaily an equivalent of the English, is to be preferred. 

 1 have seeu only one specimen and consider the species a 

 mere straggler to our shores. 



216. (216) Anser albifrons (Scop.). The White-fronted 

 Goose. 



Local name : H izza tal mas crabujdu. 



lilasius reports this species in his list evidently for 

 the sole reason of his having found the Maltese name iu 

 Giglioli's avifauna. And yet this is incorrect, as Wizza 

 bajda means " White Goose," while the present species is 

 not white at all. Consequently, the inclusion of the ^pecies 

 amongst our avifauna might easily have been a mistake. 

 On the 9th of January, 1914, however, I found five speci- 

 mens iu the market at Valletta ; these were shot the day 

 before in the vicinity of Xrobb il Ghagin. Two of these 

 birds were in a pretty good state ; the other two were 

 much broken up ; while the filth was in such a bad con- 

 dition that it could not be preserved in any way. Of the 

 four specimens mounted, a pair are in my private collection 

 and a pair in the University Museum. The local name 

 was suggested by the Hon. Dr. Magro, and is practically 

 an equivalent of the English. 



217. (215) Anser fabalis fabalis Lath. The Bean-Goose. 

 Local name : Wizza suivaggla. 



ISchembri reports the species as very rare, saying that it 

 appears only during the winter. According to Wright, flocks 

 of these Geese are sometimes seen passing along the coast 



