PINK FOOTED GOOSE. ', > ;\; ; ',1,01 



the orange colour of the legs ; 

 of the white feathers at the base of the upper 

 mandible and on the forehead, are alone sufficient 

 to point out the difference between it and the 

 latter species. 



There is another wild goose which has only 

 of late years been added to the British fauna, 

 viz. the pink footed (anser phcenicopus). It closely 

 resembles the bean goose in form and plumage, 

 but may be easily recognised by its smaller size, 

 and the pink or rose colour of the legs. Mr. 

 Bartlett first pointed out these distinctions from 

 an example which came into his possession in 

 1 839. Mr. Yarrell records the occurrence of one 

 at Holkham in 1841, which was shot by Lord 

 Coke the present Earl of Leicester out of a 

 flock of about twenty ; and it would appear, from 

 the following extract of a letter which I received 

 from a friend who was staying on a visit at 

 Holkham in 1847, that there is something pecu- 

 liarly attractive to this bird in the well preserved 

 fens of that celebrated estate. " Lord Leicester 

 tells me that some time ago he shot a wild goose 

 with pink legs, which Mr. Yarrell considered a 

 new species. It is singular that since that time 

 he has met with more of them than of any other 

 sort. He showed me five which he had just 

 killed." 



