EGYPTIAN GOOSE. 89 



lowish brown, paler on the fore part, and on the 

 back reddish brown; the upper part of the back, 

 the breast and flanks, pale yellowish brown, mi- 

 nutely waved with a darker tint, centre of the 

 breast and belly nearly white, with a patch of 

 chestnut-brown where these parts may be said to 

 join ; vent and under tail-covers buff orange ; the 

 lower back, rump, upper tail- covers and tail, black ; 

 wings, as far as the greater covers, pure white, the 

 latter having a deep black bar near their tip ; the 

 scapulars and tertials chestnut red, greyish brown 

 on the inner webs, secondaries black at the tips, and 

 with the outer webs brilliant varying green, quills 

 black, carpal joint with a prominent tubercle; a 

 fine specimen killed on Holy Island, and procured 

 for me by Mr. Selby, does not materially differ, the 

 white on the wings being slightly clouded. 



The other insulated genus to which we alluded, 

 PLECTROPTERUS of Leach, or the Spur-winged 

 Geese, named from having the wings armed at the 

 carpal joints with tubercles or spurs. It is con- 

 sidered by Mr. Swainson as a rasorial type. The 

 species which has been killed in Britain is the 

 PLECTROPTERUS GAMBENSIS, introduced into our 

 Fauna upon a single specimen killed in Cornwall 

 in June 1821, presented to Mr. Bewick, serving 

 for the figure in his Water-birds, and now de- 

 posited in the museum at Newcastle- upon-Tyne. 

 It was seen for several days near a small fishing- 

 place, associated with the common geese at a farm 

 in the vicinity, and was much disturbed before being 



