ANSER. 489 



chauged first, and the quills arc moulted last of all, and all at once, so that 

 for some time the poor birds arc entirely unable to fly and are as helpless 

 as their young. 



The genus Anser contains about thirty species, which arc distributed in 

 most parts of the world except in the tropics. Twenty of them breed in 

 the Arctic Region, eight on the confines of the Antarctic Region (six in 

 South America, and two in South Australia) ; and of the remaining two, 

 one is a resident in the Sandwich Islands, and the other on the plateaus of 

 Abyssinia, ten thousand feet above the sea. 



Geese are for the most part land-birds during the breeding-season, and 

 water-birds in winter, but many species spend most of the year away from 

 the sea. They walk very rapidly, though not very gracefully; they fly 

 swiftly, but with apparent labour; and they swim and occasionally dive 

 with ease. Their cries are not very loud, and have no pretensions to be 

 musical. They are very gregarious, except whilst incubation is going on, 

 and breed on the ground, making clumsy nests, which they line with 

 their own down, laying creamy- white eggs. 



The British Geese may be distinguished as follows : — 



Snow-Goose. 



BiU jeUow with dark base i Bean-Goose. 



^^'■^ *^P ( Pink-footed Goose 



Leo:s and feet flesh-coloured. 

 . Geey-lag Goose 

 Black bars on belly 



' White-fronted Goose, 



IBernacle Goose. 

 Beent Goose . . . . 

 Chestnut throat and breast . .Red-necked Goose 



Black forehead. 



VOL. HI. 



