124 BEAN GOOSE. 



Arthur Strickland, Esq. has written of his having known 

 some years ago, in one parish on the Wolds, a person hired 

 to keep them off. They feed also on young growing corn, 

 to which they do like damage, as also on turnips and grass, 

 and subsequently pick up a livelihood in the stubble fields. 

 Their partiality to beans, the newly sown fields of which, and 

 those of peas, they frequent in the early spring, is probably 

 the origin of their name. They are, however, fond of any 

 other kind of grain, oats, rye, and wheat, ripe or unripe, and 

 also pluck the different grasses. 



The eggs of this species are of a dull white colour, and 

 from five to seven in number. 



The young, till able to fly, hide themselves, if alarmed, in 

 the neighbouring heather or other cover. 



In confinement this species has been known to pair with 

 the Tame Goose, the progeny partaking in some respects of 

 the character of both parents. This is a statement of 

 Meyer's. 



Male; weight, about six pounds; length, two feet eight 

 inches to nearly three feet; the bill, which is rather tapered 

 towards the end, is red or yellowish red, with the exception 

 of the edges, the base, and the tooth, which are black. Iris, 

 dark brown, the eyelids dark grey. Head, crown, neck on 

 the back, and nape, greyish brown, the former colour disposed 

 in lines, giving a furrowed appearance; neck in front, chin, 

 and throat, dull white; breast, dull greyish white, with 

 deeper shades of the same colour across. Back above brown 

 with a slight tinge of grey, and each feather edged with 

 white or greyish white; on the lower part dark greyish 

 brown. 



The wings have the second quill feather the longest; they 

 reach, when closed, beyond the end of the tail. Greater and 

 lesser wing coverts, greyish brown, tipped and edged with 

 white; primaries, greyish black; secondaries and tertiaries, 

 greyish brown, edged and tipped with white. Upper and 

 under tail coverts, white. Legs and toes, orange red; claws, 

 black; webs, orange red. This colour varies in depth 

 according to the age of the bird. 



The female is smaller. 



The young are of a paler grey. 



In some of these birds there are a few white feathers 

 around the base of the bill. 



