CHINESE SWAN. 23 



UPWARDS of three feet in length, and intermediate 

 in size between the Domestic Swan and the Common 

 Goose : it has a large knob at the base of the upper 

 mandible of the beak, and a nearly naked skin, hang- 

 ing down like a pouch, or wattle, under the throat : 

 a white line extends from the corners of the mouth 

 over the forehead : the base of the beak is orange : 

 irides reddish-brown : on the hinder part of the neck, 

 from the head to the back, runs a dark brown or 

 blackish stripe : the fore part of the neck and the 

 breast are yellowish-brown: the back, and all the 

 upper parts are brownish-grey, edged with a lighter 

 colour: the sides and the feathers which clothe the 

 thighs, are nearly similar in colour to that of the 

 back, and edged with white : the belly is white : the 

 legs orange. This species varies much in the colour 

 of its plumage, beak, and legs, and the female is 

 usually smaller than the male : she has the head, 

 neck, and breast fulvous, paler on the upper part : 

 the back, wings, and tail dull brown, with pale edges: 

 the belly white: knob on the beak smaller than in 

 the male. 



Said to have been brought originally from Guinea, 

 and to be common about the Lake Baikal in Siberia, 

 and in Kamtschatka. They are now pretty generally 

 diffused over the European continent in a domesti- 

 cated state, and are said to be more noisy than the 

 Common Goose, sounding the alarm by their hoarse 

 cacklings and loud shrill cries. They will breed, it 

 is asserted, with the Common Goose, and their off- 

 spring are as prolific as those of any other kind ! 



