462 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



making a narrow white band on the open wing ; the 

 primary quills are dark dusky, nearly black, with 

 white shafts ; secondary quills black ; the upper part 

 of the breast pale greyish brown ; the rest of the 

 breast and the belly a paler shade of the same, but 

 barred and spotted with black; under tail-coverts 

 white ; the tail-feathers the same as the back and 

 slightly tipped with white; legs, toes and webs 

 orange, claws whitish horn-colour. 



Yarrell describes the eggs of the pair that laid in 

 the Zoological Gardens as white, tinged with buff. 



BERNICLE GOOSE, Anser leucopsis. I include this 

 bird in my list on the authority of Montagu, who 

 says that in the month of February, 1809, he had a 

 specimen sent him by Mr. Anstice, of Bridgwater, 

 which had been shot and wounded about a week pre- 

 viously : he adds that, on being liberated from its 

 basket, it immediately became reconciled to confine- 

 ment, and lived and fed with his other aquatic birds. 

 That this bird will become very tame and live to a 

 great age in confinement I have been able to prove, 

 as one died or rather was killed, I believe by a fox 

 which had been given to my father, and which, 

 at the time of its death had lived in the pond here 

 for quite twenty years : it was said to have been 

 a very old bird when my father received it. 



As I mentioned before, this bird has been known 

 to pair and breed with the Whitefronted Goose. 

 The one in this pond attempted every year to pair 



