228 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



Anser cinereus, Meyer; Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p. 355, pi. 411 

 (1878); B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 115 (1883); Saunders, 

 ed. Yarr. Br. B. iv. p. 253 (1885) ; Seebohm, Br. B. iii. 

 p. 500 (1885); Saunders, Man. p. 385 (1889); Lilford, 

 Col. Fig. Br. B. part xxvi. (1893). 



Adult Male. General colour above light brown, with ashy 

 centres to the feathers and whity-brown margins ; the lower 

 back, rump, and upper tail-coverts lavender-grey ; wing-coverts 

 like the back, but the lesser series, as well as the coverts round 

 the bend of the wing, light bluish-grey, with which colour the 

 median and greater coverts are tinged ; bastard-wing bluish 

 grey, with somewhat broader white margins, and shaded with 

 brown ; primary-coverts grey ; primaries blackish, with white 

 shafts, the outer ones grey for a considerable portion of their 

 length; the secondaries blackish-brown, narrowly edged with 

 white ; the inner secondaries browner, like the back ; sides of 

 rump and long upper tail-coverts white ; centre tail-feathers 

 ashy-brown, edged and tipped with white, the remainder 

 blackish on the outer web and at the base, the dark colour 

 disappearing towards the outermost, which are white; head 

 and neck light brown, the" feathers of the hind-neck somewhat 

 lanceolated and forming a soft ruff; sides of face light ashy- 

 brown, with a narrow line of white fringing the base of the 

 upper mandible ; under surface of body white, the throat and 

 chest ashy-grey, with whitish margins to the feathers ; the breast 

 and abdomen slightly mottled with black ; thighs grey ; sides 

 of body brown, with whity-brown margins to the feathers ; 

 under wing-coverts and axillaries light lavender-grey ; bill 

 flesh-coloured, with the nail white ; feet flesh-colour ; iris light 

 brown. Total length, 30^0 inches; oilmen, 2 '6; wing, 17*8; 

 tail, 7-0 ; tarsus, 3-2. 



Adult Female. Similiar to the male but smaller. Total 

 length 30*0 inches ; wing, i6'o. 



Young Birds. Darker than the adults and having no black on 

 the under-parts. 



Characters. The white nail at the end of the bill distin- 

 guishes this species, as well as the absence of any conspicuous | 

 white on the forehead, combined with the light grey of the ; 



