460 BIEDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



The present species has the irides dark brown ; 

 the head and neck brown, tinged with grey ; back 

 and scapulars dark brown, slightly tinged with 

 grey, each feather margined with greyish white ; 

 wing- coverts, secondaries and tertials greyish brown, 

 edged and tipped with white ; primaries dark 

 brown, tinged with grey ; rump dark brown ; upper 

 tail-coverts white ; tail-feathers dark brown, broadly 

 edged with greyish white ; neck in front, breast and 

 belly dirty white ; abdomen and under tail-coverts 

 pure white ; claws black.* 



Yarrell says the egg is dull white. 



WHITEFRONTED GOOSE, Anser albifrons. Of the 

 present species, the Whitefronted or Laughing 

 Goose, two undoubtedly Somersetshire specimens 

 have come under my notice, both of them shot by my 

 father at Fitzhead, near here, one hard winter, but 

 how long ago I do not know, as no note of the event 

 was made : one of these birds, which was only 

 wounded, was kept in the pond, and although so 

 severely wounded as to cause the loss of one foot it 

 survived for a long time and became very tame ; the 

 other was stuffed by my father, and is now in my 

 collection. I did not till lately t know of any other 

 occurrence of this bird in our county, although in 

 the neighbouring County of Devon both this and 



* Yarrell, vol. iii., p. 186. 

 f See Bean Goose, p. 458. 



