598 CHEN CYGNUS 



shell-fish, fry, and marine plants, but when inland chiefly on 

 vegetable matter. It breeds in the high north of America, most 

 numerously on the Arctic barren grounds, near lakes, the nest 

 being a hollow in the ground well lined with down. The eggs, 

 usually 5 in number, are white, and measure about 3'4 by 2'2. 

 Chen albescens is merely a small form of the present species, 

 and is now not generally looked on as even subspecifically 

 separable. 



835. EMPEROR GOOSE. 

 CHEN CANAOICA. 



Chen canagica (SevastanofF), Nov. Act. Ac. St. Petersb. xiii. p. 346, pi. x. 



(1800) ; (Salvadori), Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxvii. p. 109 ; (Tacz.), F. O. 



Sib. 0. p. 1112 ; Kidgway, p. 118 ; C. pictus (Pallas.), Zoogr. Boss. 



As. ii. p. 233, Tab. 67 (1811). 



ad. Head and hind-neck to the back white, the former often stained 

 with reddish orange ; throat and fore-neck dusky brownish ; upper and 

 under parts blue-grey, above boldly and below more obsoletely barred with 

 black and white ; basal half of the tail slate, the terminal half white, 

 lower mandible dark horn with a white spot on each side of the branching 

 rami ; membrane about nares livid blue ; rest of upper mandible pale 

 purplish, with a fleshy white wash ; edge of nail dark horn, rest of the 

 nail horn- white ; legs and feet bright orange-yellow ; iris hazel. Culmen 

 1-55, wing 15*1, tail 5*0, tarsus 275 inch. The young has the markings 

 less distinct and the head and neck dusky, the former speckled with 

 white. 



Hob. Alaska coasts chiefly about the shores of Norton 

 Sound and valley of the Lower Yukon ; the Chukchi Peninsula 

 in North Siberia, Sitka, and Bering Island. 



But little is on record respecting the habits of this Goose. 

 On the Vega expedition several nests were found containing 

 4 to 6 eggs, which are described as being dirty white and 

 measuring about 3 '23 by 2*05. 



CYGNUS, Bechst., 1803. 



836. MUTE SWAN. 



CYGNUS OLOR. 



Cygnus olor (Gmel.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 502 (1788) ; Naum. xi. p. 442, 

 Taf. 295 ; Gould, B. of Gt. Brit. v. pi. 8 ; Dresser, vi. p. 419, 

 pi. 418 ; Salvadori, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxvii. p. 35 ; Tacz. F. O. Sib. 

 0. p. 1114; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 413; Saimders, 

 p. 417 ; Lilford, vii. p. 74, pi. 28 ; C. mansuetus, Salerne, Orn. <fcc. 

 p. 404 (1767) ; Gould, B. of E. v. pi. 354 ; C. immutabilis, Yarr. 

 P. Z. S. 1838, p. 19 ; Dresser, vi. p. 429, pi. 419, figs. 1, 2. 



