GEESE— DUCKS 409 



distinguished by a large dewlap on its throat and breast, being one of the most 

 valuable. In China the swan-goose (A. sinensis), and in America the Canadian 

 goose (A. canadensis), have produced domesticated breeds. Canadian domesticated 

 geese differ, however, very little from their wild ancestors. 



Another species, the pink-footed goose (A. brachyrhynchus), which breeds in 

 Spitzbergen and Iceland, and probably in other parts of the high north, appears 

 regularly on migration in western Europe, particularly in Great Britain, northern 

 France, and Holland. It is considerably smaller than the bean-goose, with pink 

 feet, and a short thick pink beak terminating in a black nail. In hard winters 

 these geese cross Europe to North Africa, but are regular winter-visitors to Italy, 

 Hungary, and Turkey. In nesting and other habits they resemble the grey lag- 

 goose. 



From the last, the white-fronted goose (A. albifrons), which is mainly 

 Siberian, may be distinguished by its light orange-coloured beak, with a white 

 nail, and the presence of a white, black-edged band on the forehead and black bars on 

 the breast, as well as by the yellowish feet. In other respects its plumage is similar 

 in colour to that of the bean-goose ; in length it exceeds 24 inches. Smaller in size 

 is its near relative, the lesser white-fronted goose (A. erythropus), distinguished 

 by a larger white patch on the forehead, and a brown-spotted breast of which the 

 ground-colour is almost black. This goose breeds in Lapland and northern 

 Norway. A much larger form (A. intermedins) breeds in Iceland, and another 

 (A. gambeli), the largest of the four, is confined to North America. All four are 

 perhaps best regarded as local races of a single species. In September and 

 October the white-fronted goose migrates to the south. In Europe the autumn 

 migration takes these birds to the British Islands (particulary Ireland), southern 

 Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland, and the north of France, as well as to 

 Poland, Hungary, the Danubian countries, Greece, the shores of the Caspian Sea, 

 and through Asia Minor up the valley of the Nile, only a few stragglers reaching 

 the south of France, Switzerland, and the coast of Italy. From March to the 

 beginning of June they return to their breeding-area, and on migration associate 

 with the rear-guard of the bean-geese. White-fronted geese are also known as 

 laughing geese, the rapid repetitions of their trumpet-like call resulting in a sort of 

 " haw-haw " that sounds like vociferous laughter. 



Equally well represented in the north are the ducks, the 

 mallard frequently appearing in Finland, although not reaching the 

 limit of tree-growth, while the shoveller also does not live in the far north. The 

 gadwall reaches Iceland ; the pintail ranges rather farther northward than 

 the mallard, but the garganey only straggles as far as southern Sweden, while 

 the teal goes no farther than 65° N. latitude ; all these breeding both in central 

 a,nd northern Europe. The wigeon {Mareca penelope) breeds in solitary pairs in 

 German}^, but cannot be called an exclusively central European bird, although 

 really a fresh-water species. Only when compelled to do so, does it sojourn in 

 shallow salt water or bays, and in the main it keeps away from the sea, near which 

 it never nests. By preference it lives in well-watered districts, breeding in the 

 north of Scotland, but very rarely in Germany, where its nine to twelve cream- 

 coloured eggs are found in the middle of May. On its autumn migration it is 



