152 ANATID^E. 



I have ventured to make an exception to the figure placed 

 over the name of the Grey-lag Goose in Bewick's admi- 

 rable work on our British Birds, believing it to have been 

 taken from a specimen of the Bean Goose, as the black 

 nail at the end of the beak, and the uniform colour of the 

 wing, seem to indicate. His excellent figure of the tame 

 Goose, at page 304, exhibits the characters of the true 

 Grey -lag Goose, from which the stock is derived, in the 

 conspicuous white nail to the beak, and the light-coloured 

 cinereous blue outer portion of the wing. 



The Grey-lag Goose has bred with the Hooper Swan at 

 the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, for a knowledge of which, 

 and also of some other hybrid productions among the 

 species of this extensive family of Water-fowl, I am in- 

 debted to M. Edm. de Selys-Lonchamps, of Liege, com- 

 municated during his visit to England. The Grey-lag 

 Goose in a domestic state has also produced young in two 

 instances by union with the Knobbed, or Swan Goose, 

 A. cygnoides ; twice also with the Canada Goose, and once 

 with the Bernicle Goose. It has been stated that when a 

 union takes place between two different species of the 

 genus Anser, both having light-coloured legs, or both 

 having black legs, the young are prolific ; but when pro- 

 duced between two birds one of which has light-coloured 

 legs, the other black legs, the young are not prolific. 



