BRANTACHEN 597 



back and forming an interrupted collar rich chestnut-red ; a narrow band 

 across the lower breast white ; back, rump, lower breast, and upper 

 abdomen black ; lower abdomen, flanks, upper and under tail-coverts 

 white ; quills and tail black ; bill and feet black ; iris dark brown. 

 Culmen TO, wing 14'5, tail 6'0, tarsus 2'1 inch. Sexes alike. In the 

 young bird the black is replaced by dark brown, the auricular patch is 

 tinged with brown and varied with white, and the neck and breast are dull 

 reddish buff. 



Hob. Northern Siberia, migrating south in winter to 

 Turkestan, the Caspian, and even as far as Egypt ; an accidental 

 straggler to various parts of continental Europe and Great 

 Britain. 



In general habits it does not differ from its allies, and like 

 them feeds on vegetable substances. Its eggs were first 

 described and figured by von Middendorff in 1851, and in 1895 

 Mr. Popham took four nests on the Yenesei River which con- 

 tained from 7 to 9 eggs, creamy white in colour, and measuring 

 2'79 by 1*93. The nests were placed at the foot of a cliff, and 

 well supplied with down. 



CHEN, Boie, 1822. 



834. SNOW GOOSE. 



CHEN HYPERBOREUS. 



Chen hyperboreus, (Pallas), Spic. Zool. vi. p. 20 (1767) ; (Naum.), xi. 

 p. 213, Taf. 381 ; (Gould), B. of E. v. pi. 346 ; Dresser, vi. p. 413, 

 pi. 417, fig. 1 ; Salvadori, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxvii. p. 84 ; Tacz. P. 

 O. Sib. 0. p. 1086 ; Saunders, p. 405 ; Lilford, vii. p. 66, pi. 24 ; 

 Kidgway, p. 115 ; C. albatus (Cassin), Proc. Ac. Philad, 1856, p. 41 ; 

 Dresser, vi. p. 409, pi. 417, fig. 2. 



Bieloi Gus, Russ. ; Hyrika, Kamchatk. ; ffaku-gan, Jap. 



Ad. (N. America). Entire plumage pure white, except that the primaries 

 are dark ash-grey at the base, otherwise black, and the spurious wing ash- 

 grey ; legs and beak red, tooth white ; iris brown. Culmen 2'50,' wing 

 17'0, tail 6'0, tarsus 3*0 inch. The young bird is brownish grey above, 

 with dark centres to the wing-coverts and dorsal feathers ; under parts 

 greyish white ; bill blackish with a reddish tinge ; legs plumbeous tinged 

 with yellowish red. 



Hob. Arctic North America, in winter ranging south to the 

 Gulf of Mexico ; of somewhat rare occurrence in Kamchatka 

 and North-east Siberia, wintering in Japan ; a straggler to 

 Britain, Holland, Germany, Scandinavia, and North Russia. 



Is said to be wary and shy ; its flight is strong and steady, 

 and on land it walks with ease. On the sea-shore it feeds on 



R R 2 



