

30 BIRDS OP NORFOLK. 



Birds," one is struck with the strange difference in 

 their descriptions of the colours of the bill, legs, and 

 feet, as well as of the plumage, in the bean goose, 

 arising, in most cases, I imagine, from the confusion so 

 long existing between that species and the pink-footed, 

 and partly, perhaps, from the want of freshly killed 

 specimens. The feet and legs of my Castleacre bird, 

 which were a rich orange yellow, are now, in a dried 

 state, scarcely distinguishable from the same parts in 

 the adult pink-footed goose. Bewick, who gives a very 

 fair representation of the grey-lag, as the domestic 

 goose, has figured the bean goose for the grey-lag, as 

 shown more particularly by the form of the bill and its 

 black nail. Selby, whose large plate I have not seen, 

 describes most accurately the adult pink-footed goose 

 for the bean goose. Gould ("Birds of Europe") gives 

 the light portion of the bill as " pinky-yellow, some- 

 times inclining to red," * * legs and webs orange ;" and 

 Morris figures the legs and bill yellow, but describes 

 them as red or orange-red, as in the pink-footed. Mac- 

 gillivray and Yarrell alone agree in describing the colour 

 of the bill and feet in this species as orange or orange- 

 yellow, whilst in all other points, as to general plumage 

 and measurements, their statements agree exactly with 

 the specimens I have examined. According to Mac- 

 gillvray, the orange colour on the bill becomes more 

 extended in old than young birds, and he considers the 

 three white patches at the base of the bill in some 

 examples as a mark of immaturity. But here I may 

 remark, that these white patches (I have seen examples 

 with much more white) are present in the Castleacre 

 bird, but are wanting in the one from Beeston, though in 

 general plumage they would seem to be equally adult ;* 



* Mr. J. H. Gurney assures me that in all cases in which he 

 has remarked, both in the grey-lag and bean goose, the appear- 



