ANSER 580 



legs flesh-coloured ; nail and claws white ; iris brown. Culmen 2*55, 

 wing 18'0, tail 5 '9, tarsus 3*3 inch. Sexes alike. Young rather duller in 

 colour, with no black spots on the under parts. 



Hcib. Europe generally, from the North Cape to the 

 Mediterranean ; Britain, breeding commonly in the north of 

 Scotland ; Iceland, and the Faeroes ; North-west Africa in 

 winter ; Asia east to China, north to Dauria, south to northern 

 India. 



Is shy and cautious, and frequents open localities. On the 

 wing it is strong, and swims and even dives, and walks with 

 ease, and, when traversing long distances, flies in a wedge- 

 shaped formation. It feeds on vegetable substances, tender 

 shoots of grass, grain, etc., feeding chiefly at night. Its nest 

 is placed on the ground and consists of grass, dried flags, etc., 

 being lined, after the eggs are deposited, with abundance of 

 down plucked by the female from off her breast. The eggs, 

 which are deposited from early in April to the end of May or 

 beginning of June, according to latitude, are glossless, but 

 smooth in surface, dull yellowish white, with, when fresh laid, 

 a very faint tinge of green, and measure about 3'52 by 2*28. 

 In number they vary from 6 to 12. 



Count Salvadori and several other authors separate the 

 Asiatic bird (A. rubrirostris) from ours, but I agree with 

 Mr. Blanford in not following this course. 



821. BEAN GOOSE. 

 ANSER FABALIS. 



Anserf abatis (Lath.), Gen. Synop. Snppl. i. p. 297 (1787) ; Salvadori Cat 

 B. Br. Mus. xxvii. p. 99 ; A. segetum, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 512 (1788) 

 fig. 2 j'Naum. xi. p. 300, Taf. 287 ; Hewitson, ii. p. 385, pi. cviii 

 fig. 2 ; Gould, B. of E. v. pi. 348 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. v. pi. 2 

 Dresser, vi. p. 363, pi. 412 ; Tacz. F. 0. Sib. 0. p. 1095 ; Saunders 

 p. 401 ; Lilford, vii. p. 61, pi. 22. 



Oiemdgaire, French ; Ganso, Portug. and Span. ; Ocagranaiola, 

 Ital. ; Saatgans, German ; Rietgans, Dutch ; Scedyaas, Dan. and 

 Norweg. ; Scidgds, Swed. ; Mctsa/ianhi, Finn. ; Guminnik., 

 Nemock, Russ. ; ffishikui, Jap. 



< ad. (England). Differs from A. ferns in being somewhat darker in 

 colour, in lacking the black markings on the under parts, and the ashy 

 blue on the wings, in being smaller in size, and in having the bill blackish, 

 crossed by a broad orange yellow-band ; the nail black ; the legs orange- 



