GEEY LAG-GOOSE 57 



the eighteenth century (Ussher). In Scotland it nests in 

 Caithness, Eoss-shire, Sutherland and the Outer Hebrides. 



In North Uist it has nested on one occasion 700 feet 

 above the sea-level (Harvie-Brown). 



Geographical distribution. Abroad, the Grey Lag- 

 Goose breeds chiefly in the northern countries of Europe 

 and Asia, viz., Iceland, Kussia, Scandinavia, Holland, 

 North Germany and Siberia. On its southern migration, 

 it is widely distributed over Central and Southern Europe 

 and Temperate Asia. 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male 1 nuptial. Head, neck, back, 

 wings and tail, greyish-brown ; base of beak surrounded 

 by a few small white feathers ; breast and front of neck, 

 pale brown ; lower breast and abdomen, dull white ; upper 

 tail-coverts and wing-coverts, bluish-grey ; abdomen marked 

 with a few small transverse bars of black. 



Adult female nuptial. Similar in plumage to the male. 



Adult winter, male and female. Similar to the nuptial 

 plumage. 



Immature, male and female. Back darker, and head and 

 neck lighter than those of the adult ; black spots absent 

 from the abdomen. 



BEAK. Flesh-colour ; tipped with a white ' nail.' 



FEET. Flesh-colour. 



IRIDES. Dark brown. 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH ... 34 in. Female smaller. 

 WING ... ... 17'5 ,, One inch or so shorter 



in the female. 



BEAK 2'5 



TARSO-METATARSUS 2'75 

 EGG 3-5 X 2'4 in. 



Allied Species and Representative Forms. A. rubrirostris 

 is the foim which, in winter, migrates to Tropical Asia. 



1 In the Geese and Swans (Genera, Anser, Chen, Bernicla, and 

 Cygnus), the adult plumage of both sexes is alike, or in some species 

 with only minor differences, and without seasonal changes. In this 

 respect they differ markedly from the Ducks. 



