ANSER. 417 



winter to Southern Europe, North Africa, South-western Asia, and 

 Northern Indin. Within our area it is common, from the end of 

 October to the beginning of March, in the Punjab, Sind, and the 

 North-west Provinces; it occurs, though rather less abundantly, 

 throughout Northern India, Assam, and Manipur, and it is common 

 in the Irravvaddy valley north of Myingyan. It is met with as far 

 south as the Nerbudda on the west, and the ChilkaLake, in Orissa, 

 on the east ; but is seldom found south of the Gangetic plain inland. 

 Salvadori and some others distinguish the Eastern race as A. rubri- 

 rostris, but the only difference is that old birds are rather darker 

 below, and I doubt if this is constant. 



Habits, $c. In winter the Grey-Lag is generally found in flocks, 

 often large, of 200 to 1000 birds or more, which feed on grass and 

 green crops in the morning and evening, and pass the day on the 

 sands of one of the larger rivers, or the edge of a lake or marsh r 

 rarely entering the water. Young birds, when well-fed on green 

 crops, are excellent to eat. Wild Geese if captured are easily 

 tamed, and from the present species is derived the Domestic Goose 

 of Europe ; but Blyth has stated that the tame Geese of India are 

 a mixed race, and hybrids between A. ferus and the Chinese 

 A. (or Gygnopsis) cygnoides. 



1580. Anser albifrons. The White-fronted Goose. 



Branta albifrons, Scop. Ann. I. Hist. Nat. p. 69 (1769). 



Anser albifrons, Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 509 ; Jerdon, B. L iii, 

 p. 780 ; Hume, Cat. no. 947 ; id. S. F. viii, p. 421 ; Hume Sf Marsh. 

 Game B. iii, p. 73, pi. ; Reid, S. F. x, p. 78 ; Barnes, Birds 

 Bom. p. 395; Lester, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. vii, p. 553; Salva- 

 dori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 92 ; Baker, Jour. Bom. N. H. Soc. xi, pi. ii. 



Anser erythropus, apud Flem. Brit. An. p. 127 (1828) ; Hume, S. F, 

 i, p. 259 ; nee Linn. 



Coloration. A white frontal band extending across the lores to 

 the gape, and sometimes to the chin ; head, neck, and upper surface 

 dark brown, darker and ashy posteriorly and blackish on the 

 border of the frontal band ; wing-coverts greyer ; feathers of upper 

 back, scapulars, tertiaries, and some of the coverts pale-tipped ; 

 greater coverts with broad white edges, forming a white bar ; pri- 

 maries dark grey with blackish ends, secondaries black ; breast and 

 abdomen whity-brown, more or less blotched with black, sometimes 

 black almost throughout ; sides of breast brown, with pale tips to 

 the feathers ; vent, lower flanks, and upper and under tail-coverts 

 white ; tail-feathers dark ashy brown, with white edges and tips, 

 broadest on the outer feathers. 



In young birds the white on the forehead is brownish or 

 wanting, and there is no black on the underparts. 



Bill pale livid fleshy, nail whitish ; irides pale brown ; legs and 

 feet bright orange (Hume}. 



Length 27 ; tail 4-5 ; wing 15*5 ; tarsus 2-5 ; bill from gape 2. 



Distribution. Throughout the Pala3arctic region, breeding in the 

 far North, and migrating in winter to the Mediterranean, Egypt, 



TOL. IT. 2 E 



