BEAN GOOSE. 27 



Anas segetum. Gmel. Syst. Nat. 1.512. Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. 843. 



Anser sylrestris. Briss. Orn. 6. 265. 



L'Oie sauvage. Buff. Hist. Nat. Ois. 9. 30 ? Buff. PI. Enl. 985 ? 



Temm. man. d'Orn. 527. Id. 2 Edit. ii. 820. 

 Wild Goose. Albin. Birds, 1 . pi. 90. 

 Bean Goose. Penn. Brit. Zoo/. 2. 267. Penn. Arct. Zoo/. 2. 



472. LM. Gen. Syn. 6. 464-. Zero. JSrif. Birds, 6. pi. 239. 



7Fa/c. Syn. 1. pi. 65. 3/owf. O>-. Diet. 1. ac? SM/>. .Boc. 



Brit. Birds, 2. 306. 



LENGTH upwards of thirty inches : the beak is 

 black at its base and at the hook, and yellow in the 

 middle : the membrane surrounding the eyes is of a 

 blackish-grey : the irides are deep brown ; the head 

 and top of the neck are ashy-brown : the base of the 

 neck and the under parts of the plumage are bright 

 ash-colour : the top of the back, the scapulars, and 

 all the wing-coverts are ashy-brown bordered with 

 whitish : the rump is blackish-brown : the vent and 

 under part of the tail are pure white : the legs are 

 reddish-orange. 



The young have the head and neck of a dull red- 

 dish-yellow ; all the rest of the plumage of a clear 

 ash ; and generally three small white spots at the 

 opening of the beak. 



Native of the Arctic regions, migrating periodi- 

 cally towards the southern countries of Europe. 

 They arrive in the fens of England in the autumn, 

 sometimes in large flocks, and depart in April or 

 May, retiring towards the north to breed ; which 

 they are reported to do in plenty in some of the He- 

 bridal Islands of Scotland, laying ten or a dozen 

 white eggs, in a nest placed in the marshes, or among 

 the heath. They resort equally in the corn-fields 



