The True Geese, 47 



brown, terminally white. The breast is 

 ashy grey, each feather edged paler. 

 The sides of the body are brown, with 

 grey margins to the feathers. The whole 

 abdomen and the under tail-coverts are 

 white, the former with broad, irregular, 

 broken-up black bars or patches. The 

 lesser upper wing-coverts and those on 

 the margin of the wing are pale bluish 

 grey, edged paler. The other upper wing- 

 coverts are brown with grey margins. The 

 outer primaries are grey, with blackish 

 tips ; the remainder are wholly blackish. 

 The outer secondaries are blackish, very 

 finely and narrowly margined with whitish. 

 The shafts of all the primaries and outer 

 secondaries are white. The axillaries and 

 under wing-coverts are bluish grey, 



Young birds have no black marks 



on 



the abdomen, and no white round the 

 base of the upper mandible. 



Males are not invariably larger than 

 females. Both sexes vary much in size 

 and weight. Length about 32 ; wing 

 about 18; tail about 6. The bill is said 

 to vary from whitish to dull reddish brown. 

 The irides are brown. The legs and feet 

 are of the same colour as the bill. Weight 

 nearly up to 9 lb., but much heavier birds 

 appear to be found in Europe. 



