-in 



DUCKS. 



DUCKS. 



in 



of Entertaining Knowledge Egyptian Antiquities," vol. ii., London, 

 1836), gives a print containing, as he believes, all or nearly all the 

 varieties of the animal forma, except perhaps the fishes, which he had 

 been able to find on the great sarcophagus, the two obelisks, and 

 some other monuments in the British Museum, Among them he 

 figures a palmipede bird, which he considers to be the Egyptian 

 Goose, the Chenalopex of Herodotus ; and he observes that it is of 

 frequent occurrence on the sculptures, though it was not a sacred 

 bird ; unless it may have some claims to that honour from having 

 been a favourite article of food for the priests. A place in Upper 

 Egypt, he remarks, had its name Chenoboscion, or Chenoboscia 

 (' goose-pens '), from these animals being fed there, probably for sale ; 

 though these may have been sacred geese, for the goose, we are told, 

 was a bird under the care of Isis. Every one recollects, he adds, the 

 story in Livy, of the geese of Juno saving the capitoL The bird 

 referred ' to, if accurately figured, and we are told that the drawing 

 was executed with great care, seems too short upon its legs for the 

 Egyptian Goose of modern authors, aud has more the air of a Bernicle. 



Belon gives a fair description of the Egyptian Goose ; among other 

 observations he says, " Estant de la forme d'uue oye, et le col long, 

 et la corpulence plus petite, semble estre haut eniambce;" and he 

 applies to the bird, which he describes, the name of Vulparuer, or 

 Chenalopex. He speaks also of its being kept " es cours des grand 

 seigneurs seulement" M. Geoffroy St. Hilaire is also of opinion that 

 the Egyptian Goose is the Chenalopex, or Vulpamer, of the ancients ; 

 and Mr. Stephens conferred the former generic title on the species. 



The genus Chenalopex has the following characters : BiU as long 

 as the head, slender, nearly straight, rounded at the tip, laminated on 

 the margin ; upper mandible slightly curved, nail hooked, lower 

 mandible flat. Nostrils sub-basal : upper mandible margined all 

 round with brown, reddish flesh-colour in the centre ; irides orange. 

 Wings with spurs. Tarsi elongated ; the three anterior toea fully 

 Webbed ; hind toe simple. Legs placed in equilibrio with reference 

 to the body. 



The sexes are nearly similar ; female rather smaller than the male, 

 and with the colouring less intense. Narrow edging of feathers 

 round the base of the bill, a line running nearly straight from that 

 edging to the eye, and large patch surrounding the eye, chestnut ; 

 crown of the head, sides of the face, and anterior part of neck, pale 

 buff approaching to white, gradually passing into rufous-brown on the 

 back of the neck ; lower part of the neck of the same reddish tinge, 

 which forms there a slightly marked collar. Upper part of the back 

 light chestnut-brown, rayed with very minute transverse irregular 

 lines of dark brown approaching to black ; middle of the back and 

 upper part of scapulars dark reddish-brown, minutely rayed with irre- 

 gular transverse lines of blackish-brown and gray; lower part of 

 scapulars and tertiariea reddish chestnut ; lesser wing-coverts white, 

 except the posterior row of feathers, which are crossed with black 

 near their extremities, so as to form a narrow oblique band across the 

 wing ; primaries, lower part of the back, rump, and tail, black ; 

 secondaries rich green, glossed with purple. In the middle of the 

 breast there is a large patch of deep chestnut; the rest of the under 

 part of the body, from the slight collar to the thighs, pale buff with 

 fine irregular transverse blackish-brown lines. Vent and under tail- 

 coverts rich buff. Legs aud feet reddish flesh-colour. 



(Ohenaloptx Mygptianui). 



Mr. Gould, who gives an excellent portrait of an adult male in his 

 ' Bird* of Europe,' states that he has not been led to do so by the 

 number of half-reclaimed individuals which are yearly shot in our 

 island, but from the circumstance of its occasionally visiting the 

 southern parts of the Continent from its native country, Africa. M. 



Temminck, he remarks, particularly mentions the island of Sicily as 

 one of the places frequented by it ; and he adds that this is the species 

 which would appear to have been held in great veneration by the 

 ancient Egyptians, as we frequently find a figure of it among the 

 monuments of that celebrated people. It is, he says, abundant on 

 the banks of the Nile, and is distributed over the whole of the vast 

 continent of Africa. 



This handsome species breeds freely in confinement, and is often 

 seen in the aviaries and near the lakes of those who take pleasure in 

 collecting and domesticating ornamental water-birds. 



A. Gambensis of Ray and others, Anas Gambsnsis of Linnreus, Plsc- 

 tropterut Gamlensis of modern ornithologists, the Spur-Winged Goose, 

 or Gambo-Goose. This species was confounded by Willughby, and 

 afterwards by Buffou, with the Egyptian Goose. 



Size nearly that of the common goose ; but the legs are long, and 

 placed under the middle of the body. Bill broad and flat, with a 

 tubercle at the base like that of the tame swan. This tubercle 

 increases with age. Bend of the wing armed with a large blunt spur, 

 which is sometimes double. Bill and its basal tubercle dull red ; 

 sides of the head white ; upper parts of body glossy black, with 

 metallic reflections ; base of the wings with a white patch mottled 

 with black spots ; under parts white ; legs slightly tinged with red ; 

 spur, which is only visible when the wing is expanded, horn-colour. 



Mr. Swainson thus characterises the genus Plectropterut, Leach : 

 " Size large ; wings armed with naked tubercles or spines ; bill 

 lengthened, wide at the tip ; the base with a naked protuberance. 

 Rasorial." 



It is a native of Northern and Western Africa. One specimen was 

 killed in Cornwall in 1821, hence it is enumerated in lists of British 

 Anatidce. More rare in collections than the Egyptian Goose, but has 

 lived well in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London, at the 

 Regent's Park. 



A. Canadensw of authors, the Canada Goose, or Cravat-Goose. 

 This bird in its contour, especially about the neck, seems to approach 

 the swans. Indeed, Mr. T. C. Eyton arranges it under the genus 

 Cyynua. It is the Neescah, or Mistehayneesoah, of the Cree Indians ; 

 L'Outarde of the French-Canadians ; Bustard of the Hudson's Bay 

 settlers ; Wild Goose of the Anglo-Americans ; and L'Oie a Cravate of 

 the French. 



Canadian Goose (Anier Canadcnsii 



Hearne, Pennant, Wilson, Audubon, Nuttall, and others, give very 

 interesting accounts of the habits and chace of this species, whose 

 annual advent furnishes such an abundant harvest of food to the resi- 

 dents in the countries visited by it. Our limits will not permit us to 

 indulge in these entertaining bjit somewhat lengthened narratives, 

 and we select Sir John Richardson's account as being at once clear 

 and concise : " The arrival of this well-known bird," says Sir John 

 in the ' Fauna Boreali- Americana,' " in the Fur Countries is anxiously 

 looked for, and hailed with great joy by the natives of the woody 

 and swampy districts, who depend principally upon it for subsistence 

 during the summer. It makes its first appearance in flocks of twenty 

 or thirty, which are readily decoyed within gun-shot by the hunters, 

 who set up stales, and imitate its call. Two or three, or more, are 



_ pounds, is the daily ] 

 vants during the season, and is reckoned equivalent to two snow- 

 geese, or three ducks, or eight pounds of buffalo and moose-meat, or 

 two pounds of pemmican, or a pint of maize and four ounces of suet. 

 About three weeks after their first appearance the Canada Geese 

 disperse in pairs throughout the country, between the 50th and 67th 

 parallels, to breed, retiring at the same time from the shores of 

 Hudson's Bay. They are seldom or never seen on the coasts of the 



