518 BRITISH BIRDS. 



head and upper neck, surrounded by a narrow white margin, which is 

 extended down the sides of the neck between the black hind neck and the 

 chestnut fore neck and upper breast ; the white ring from the upper back 

 extends round the breast, and is separated from the chestnut upper breast 

 by a narrow black margin. The breast below the white ring, the axillaries, 

 under wing-coverts, and flanks are glossy black, the latter broadly barred 

 with white ; the belly, vent, and under tail-coverts are pure white. Bill, 

 legs, feet, and claws black ; irides hazel. Young in first plumage are 

 unknown, but birds of the year, after the first autumn moult, differ from 

 adults in having the black replaced by dark brown, and the rich chestnut 

 by chestnut-buff; the chestnut patch on the sides of the neck is mottled 

 with black and white, the black margin above the white ring is absent, and 

 all the wing-coverts have paler margins. Radde states that the adult 

 plumage does not arrive at perfection until the third year. Young in 

 down are unknown. 



Great numbers of Geese of various species have been introduced into 

 this country and live and breed in a semidomesticated state in zoological 

 gardens, parks, and on ornamental waters in pleasure-grounds. These 

 often escape, and their capture has given rise to numerous claimants for 

 admission into the British list ; but none of them can be regarded even as 

 accidental visitors to our shores. Amongst these may be enumerated : the 

 Spur- winged Goose (Plectropterus gambensis], a resident in West and South 

 Africa; the Egyptian Goose (P. agyptiacus] , a resident in East and South 

 Africa; the Bar -headed Goose (Anser indicus), a winter visitor to India, 

 breeding in Mongolia ; the Chinese Goose (A. cygnoides), a winter visitor to 

 China, breeding in East Siberia; and the Canada Goose (A. canadensis), a 

 winter visitor to Mexico, breeding in the arctic regions of America as far 

 south as lat. 42. The eggs of the Canada and Egyptian Geese are figured 

 on Plate 62. 



RED-BREASTED GOOSE. 



