ANSER. 283 



This species was obtained on the Munchur Lake during an unusually 

 severe winter in Sind by Mr. H. E. Watson, Deputy Collector of 

 Sehwan, shortly after I left the Lake in the same year (1878). In every 

 instance, where the species has occurred, it was during an unusually 

 severe winter. Mr. Hume, in his Game Birds, says — '^ It may be considered 

 a pretty regular, though somewhat rare, cold weather visitant to the 

 Peshawar and Hazara Districts, and an occasional straggler to the Kohat 

 and Rawul Pindee Districts, and to the Trans Indus portions of Sind." 



It has occurred near Peshawar in 1857. In 1871, Captain Unwin 

 obtained a specimen in the Rawul Pindee District. Dr. Stolickza in 

 /. A. 8. B. 1872, p. 229, says— "While crossing the Runn of Cutch 

 he noticed several swans, but at too great a distance for it to be possible 

 to form an idea as to the species the birds belonged to," " and from its 

 occurrence in Sind," Mr. Hume says " renders it not improbable that 

 Dr. Stolickza was right." 



Outside our limits this species has been seen in the Kabul river, 

 near Jellalabad, and is known to visit Northern Afghanistan pretty 

 regularly. Breeds in Western Turkistan. 



Family, ANSERID^. 



Bill moderate, narrower in front thau behind ; keel elevated at the 

 base, sloping to the tip; nail at point of bill horny and hard; legs 

 moderate; knee bare; hind toe partially lobed; laminar teeth present. 



Sub-Family, ANSERINE. 



Characters same as those of the Family. 



Gen. Anser. — BHss. 



Bill high at the base, rather long ; lamina at edge wide and visible 

 externally ; nostrils in the nude cere, longitudinal. 



Anser CinereUS, Meyer; Naum. Vogt. t. 285; Gould. B. Eur. pi. 

 347 ; Jerd. B. hid. iii. 779 ; 8tT. F. i. 258 ; iv. 26, 197 ; vii. 494 ; viii. 

 421 ; Hume and Marsh. Game B. of Ind. iii. p. 55 ; Murray, Hdbk., 

 Zool., 8fc., Sind, p. 233. Hans, Sind. — The Grey Lag Goose. 



Head, hind neck and nape greyish brown, the feathers of the latter 

 slightly darker and forming a conspicuous line on the neck behind, 

 in some uniform grey brown ; chin, throat and breast on the upper 

 part pale greyish brown ; the breast below whitish, and barred on 

 the sides with greyish ; back and scapulars brown, the feathers 

 margined at the tips with fulvous white, forming regular bars ; greater 

 wing-coverts greyish brown, lesser slightly paler, both bordered with 

 whitish ; primaries white shafted, the first three pale grey, the rest 

 nearly dark brown ; tail greyish, tipped with white. The plumage of 

 this Goose is very variable. Of specimens I have, no two are alike. 

 Mr. Hume also notices this fact and says — "In some the head and 

 neck vary from pale ashy or earthy brown to dark clove brown ; in 

 most there is a mingled white and orange patch on the forehead ; in 



