64 ANATID^E 



Geographical distribution. The bird has been found 

 breeding in Spitzbergen ] and is said to breed in Iceland 

 also. It probably nests in many other countries of 

 Northern Europe. On migration, in the cold season, it 

 has been recorded from Holland, Belgium and France, 

 and it probably visits many other countries in Europe. 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. Head and upper part 

 of neck, ashy-brown ; lower neck, chestnut ; back and wings, 

 greyish-brown, edged with yellowish-white ; lower back, 

 dark grey ; wing-coverts, bluish-grey ; breast and abdo- 

 men, light greyish-brown ; primaries, bluish-grey ; tail- 

 feathers, grey, edged with white ; upper and under tail- 

 coverts, white. 



Adult female nuptial. Similar in plumage to the male. 



Adult winter, male and female. Similar to the nuptial 

 plumage. 



Immature, male and female. Darker in colour than the 

 adult and with less definite markings. 



BEAK. Proportionately shorter and more slender than 

 in other ' Grey ' Geese. Basal part as far as the nostrils, 

 black ; tip or ' nail,' black ; centre pink. 



FEET. Pink ; claws black. 



IRIDES. Dark brown. 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH 28 in. 



WING 17-5 



BEAK 1'75 



TABSO-METATABSUS ... ... 2 - 5 ,. 



EGG ... 312 X 2'25 in. 



SNOW-GOOSE. Chen hyperboreus (Pallas). 



Coloured Figures. Dresser, ' Birds of Europe,' vol. vi, pi. 413 ; 

 Lilford, ' Coloured Figures,' vol. vii, pi. 24 ; Alpheraky, 

 1 Geese of Europe and Asia,' pi. 1. 



The Snow-Goose, as its name implies, is pure white 

 except x the tips of the wings, which are black ; it therefore 



1 Here the nest has been found on a stony hill-side, overhung by 

 a rock some seven hundred feet above the Fjord, with no water except 

 the sea in the vicinity (Sir E. Payne- Gall wey). 



