302 ANATID^. 



to the south of Cairo, and throughout the greater part of 

 tropical Africa, There it is said to be partial to holes, and 

 Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., observed it frequenting the ledges 

 of lofty and inaccessible cliffs for nesting purposes ; but 

 birds hatch and rear their young very freely in confinement. 

 The eggs are of a dull buffish-white, measuring 2*8 by 2 in. 

 The note is like the barking of a dog. In its manner of 

 feeding this bird is decidedly Anserine. 



In the summer of 1838, an Egyptian Goose, in the garden 

 of the Zoological Society, paired with a Penguin Drake,* the 

 eggs being productive ; and again in the following season, 

 when the young birds were preserved, and kept by them- 

 selves experimentally. Next year many eggs were produced 

 between these hybrids, but the eggs were not productive, and 

 exhibited no embryos. An Egyptian Goose has bred with 

 the Knobbed or Swan Gander {A. cygnoides), and with the 

 Spur-winged Gander (P. gamhensis), at the Dublin Zoological 

 Society in the Phoenix Park. 



The upper mandible of the beak is horn-colour, tipped with 

 pink ; the under one cherry-red ; nail, margins, and base 

 dark brown ; irides wax-yellow ; round the eye a patch of 

 chestnut-brown ; cheeks and sides of the neck pale rufous- 

 white ; forehead, crown of the head, back of the neck, the 

 back, and scapulars, rich reddish-brown ; carpal portion of 

 the wing, and wing-coverts, white ; the smaller coverts tipped 

 with black ; wing-primaries almost black, tinged with green ; 

 the secondaries tinged with reddish-bay, and edged with 

 chestnut ; lower part of the back, rump, and tail, nearly 

 black ; front of the neck, breast, and upper part of the belly, 

 pale rufous-brown, a patch on the breast chestnut-brown ; 

 lower part of the belly and the vent pale brown ; legs and 

 feet pink. 



The whole length of an adult male is about twenty-six 

 inches. The distribution of colours is the same in females 

 as in males, but the tints are less bright and pure. The 

 wing is furnished with a short blunt spur at the wrist. 



* The Penguin Duck, so called from its walking nearly upright, is only ;i 

 variety of the Common Domestic Duck. 



