356 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



black ; greater wing-coverts dark grey largely tipped with 

 pure white, the two colours separated by a narrow line of black; 

 spurious wing and primaries very dark brown, the latter 

 deepening into black at their extremities ; outer webs of the 

 secondaries or speculum rich glossy green broadly margined 

 with white, their inner webs grey ; the last two have their 

 outer webs entirely glossy green and their inner webs 

 grey, with the exception of a narrow margin of white ; breast- 

 feathers bufFy white, each feather crossed by two irregular 

 bands of brown, the margin between the bands freckled with 

 brown, and a spot of black at each end of the band nearest 

 the tip, giving the whole a mottled appearance ; flanks silver- 

 grey, delicately pencilled with fine wavy lines of black ; 

 centre of the abdomen and under tail-coverts deep glossy 

 black ; bill olive-brown ; irides very dark brown ; legs and 

 feet dark brown. 



The female has the head and neck pale brown, speckled 

 with white on the sides of the face ; all the upper surface and 

 wings greyish brown ; the scapularies stained with black on 

 their outer webs ; lower part of the back black ; primaries 

 brown ; secondaries and greater coverts tipped with white, the 

 former with a trace of the glossy green so conspicuous in the 

 male, at the base of the outer webs ; the markings of the 

 breast are similar to those of the male, but they are larger 

 and paler, and the feathers are destitute of the minute freckles 

 on the margins of the feathers ; flanks light brown, crossed 

 with bars of white freckled with brown ; centre of the abdo- 

 men and under tail-coverts white. 



Although I have applied the trivial name of goose to this 

 bird it has but little relationship to the typical member of the 

 genus Anser, none of which, as stated in the introduction, 

 exist in Australia, nor, so far as I am aware, in any of the 

 Polynesian Islands. 



