ALOPOCHEN AEGYPTIACUS. 



EGYPTIAN GOOSE. 



(Plate 52.) 



Anas aegyptiaca, Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., i, p. 197 (1766). 



Chanalopex aegyptiaca, Sharpe's ed. Layard Birds of S. Afr., p. 747 

 (1875-84) ; NicoUs & Eglington, Sportsman in S. Afr., p. 122 

 (1892). 



Chenalopex aegyptiacus, Salvador!, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xxvn, p. 167 

 (1895) ; Woodward, Natal Birds, p. 209 (1899) ; Reichenow, 

 Vogel Afrikas, i, p. 131 (1900-01) ; Sclater, Ann. S. Afr. Mus., 

 m, p. 352 (1905) ; Sclater & Stark, Birds of S. Afr., iv, p. 128 

 (1906). 



Local Names. " Berg Gans " of the Dutch ; " Nile Goose " of some 

 authors ; " Esikwi " of Kaffirs (Lawrence), a name also applied 

 to the Spur-winged Goose; " Lefalva " of Basutos (Murray). 



DescRiPTiON. The Plate represents an adult male. The sexes are 

 ahke. Young birds have the legs and beak clay-coloured. 

 Length about 27 in. 



Distribution. The Egyptian Goose is found all over Africa south 

 of the Sahara, and its range extends as far to the north-east as 

 Palestine. 



In South Africa it is quite common, and is equally at home on 

 the coasts and along the rivers, as on the lakes and marshes. 



This bird is well known to most people. It breeds very 

 freely in captivity, and nearly every piece of ornamental 

 water in public parks in the British Isles has a pair or so of 

 them as inliabitants. In the tame state it hybridises freely 

 with many and very different species. Mr. Sclater writes 

 that it has frequently hybridised with the Spur-winged 

 Goose and even with the Mallard (Anas boscas), while I have 



122 



