BRENT GOOSE. 39 



the local name of " stranger " brents, and three of these 

 birds, brought to him in the flesh, in the first week of 

 March, 1853, proved on dissection to be two males and 

 one female, the latter the lightest he had ever seen. 

 That this difference in plumage is not a matter of either 

 age or sex, seems evident from an examination of light 

 and dark varieties in the collection of Mr. J. H. Gurney, 

 jun., selected by himself from the large numbers com- 

 monly hanging for sale during winter, in Leadenhall 

 Market. On the 6th of February, 1870, when there 

 were several hundred brents in the market, adult and 

 immature, he was struck by their difference in size, and 

 remarked that those with dark underparta were more 

 numerous than the light coloured ones. He has a light- 

 coloured male from Yarmouth, killed in March, and a 

 dark-coloured male from Leadenhall Market, killed in 

 February. He also ascertained by dissection that of 

 two immature birds, without any white on the neck, 

 and with white edgings to the greater wing-coverts, 

 the one with dark underparts was a male, and the 

 light- coloured one a female. 



The young birds of this species are considered very 

 good eating, and generally find a ready sale in our 

 markets. In the L'Estrange Household book it is once 

 mentioned amongst articles purchased, as " Itm a brante, 



ii<i. ; but the entry, " Itm a wyld goos kylled wt 



ye cros bowe" most probably referred to one of the 

 larger species. 



ANSER RUFICOLLIS, Pallas. 



EED-BEEASTED GOOSE. 



The only example of this beautiful and extremely 

 rare species, recorded as procured in Norfolk, is the one 



