VARIETIES OF WILDFOWL. 85 



The WHITE-FRONTED or LAUGHING GOOSE (Anser ery- 

 thropus), though not so numerous in this country as the 

 bean goose, is yet a regular winter visitor. It has a bill 

 somewhat like that of the grey lag, having the nail white; 

 but the feet and legs are orange coloured, like those of the 

 bean goose. The general plumage is very similar to that of 

 the latter bird, with the exception of the breast, which is 

 nearly white, with patches and broad bars of black. In 

 length it is less than either, being only twenty-seven inches 

 from tip to tail. 



The BERNICLE GOOSE (Bernicla leucopsis) appears in large 

 nocks in severe winters, especially on our western coasts. 

 It is even more shy than the rest of its congeners, and is 

 still smaller than the last its length being twenty-five 

 inches. The bill is black, a stripe of the same colour ex- 

 tending to the eye; the legs and toes are also black; the 

 forehead, cheeks, and throat are white; top of the head, 

 neck, and breast black ; upper parts black and white ; tail 

 black ; and all the under parts greyish- white, the vent being 

 pure white. 



The BRENT GOOSE (Bernicla brenta) is the smallest, and 

 at the same time the most numerous, of the geese frequenting 

 our coasts, in the bays and creeks of which it is to be found 

 in large flocks whenever the winter is severe enough to draw 

 it from the north. It is never known to breed in this 

 country. Like the bernicle goose, it has a black beak, and 

 also legs and toes of the same colour; the head, neck, and 

 breast are black, with the exception of a small patch of 

 white feathers tipped with black on each side of the neck ; 

 the plumage of the upper part of the body is brownish 

 black, with more or less grey edging to each feather; wing 

 feathers and tail black; tail coverts and vent white; belly 

 slate grey, the feathers being edged with white; length 

 twenty-one inches. 



The following catalogue embraces the more common 

 varieties of waterfowl wliich are likely to be met with by the 

 sportsman on our coasts. For a more detailed description 

 of these I must refer my readers to the pages of Yarrell, 

 Bewick, and other writers on this branch of natural history. 



