434 



lamp:i.liro.stral swimmers — anseres. 



il'P 



The G(!08e of the Northern llL'inisijhcn' vary ho iiiiicli in tliu dutuilH of form, that thu (,'L'iic'ra 

 iiHUally rccoguizctl are far more artilii-ial than natural, their ileliuition liein<; of the utmost dillieuhy, 

 scarcely two species lieinj,' exactly alike in the minutiie of external anatomy. No f,'real vioK^nce 

 wouhl Ik.' (lone their trne relationship, were all the North American (Jeese, except I'hilactr mu\ Jkii- 

 drocijam, referred to a sinj;le ^enns, Amii- ; Imt for convenience of classiticatioii it may serve the 

 ]mrpuse best to admit a limited nundier of }{enera, delined as follows : — 



ASHEKEiE. 



A. 



Bill varialile, the nas4il cavity ' situated near the middle of the maxilla, elonj^atcd, anil indis- 

 tiiully defined; "nails" <if the hill rather small, occupying,' nmch less than the Ujrminal 

 third of the hill. 

 a. Colors variable, hut head and neck with little, if any, black. Bill and feet li^lit ctdored 

 (usually reddish) in adult. 



1. Chen. Hill very robust, the culmen sli^ditly, tlie lower outline of the mandible d<!cidedly, 



convex ; very sli<;htly depressetl imme<liately behind tiie thickenecl nails ; cinnmissure 

 widely gapin}{ (except in C. Roiisi'). Head aiicl neck of adult white ; some species entirely 

 white in adult dress, except |U'imaries. Bill and feet redijish in the ailult. 



2. Anser. Bill hmiv slender, the eulmen gently concave, the lower outlinit of the mandiblr 



slightly concave anteriorly ; decidedly depressed immediately behind the rather thin nails ; 

 commissure nearly or ipiite closed, by the dose appnixiniiition of the tomia. lIcNid and 

 neck never white, and no sjiecies entirely white (normally), iiill and feet lif{ht c(dored 

 in the adult. 

 6. CNdors dark, with the head and neck rhielly black ; bill and feet deo]) black at all npes. 



3. Berniola. Bill usually nnuh as in Aiisir ; all tin; characters, except tho.se detined above, 



exceedingly varialile. 

 B. Bill de])ressed and broad, the nasjd cavity situated in the basal half of the maxilla (its jios- 

 terior end nearly or <piile touching,' the frontal feathers), broaclly ovate, and distinctly 

 detined ; nails of the bill very lar-^'e, occujiyiug nearly the tc^rminal third of the bill. 



4. Philaote. tVdcr bluish, variegated with whitish borders to the feathers and subterndnMl 

 dusky crescentic Iwrs ; expo.sed jiorticm of the tail white. Adult with the head and nape 

 white, the bill and feet light colored ; young with the head iduinheous, the bill and feet 

 dusky. 



DENDROCYCNEiE. 



5. Dendrocycna. Bill longer than the head, the edges nearly parallel, the lamellic entirely 



concealed by the overhanging edge of thi; maxilla. Lower jtart of the tibia bare for a 

 considerable distance. Tarsus shorter than the middle toe with claw, but longer than the 

 middle toe without c law. 



Besides the species proin-rly considered to be American, another has been reconled as occurriiit; 

 within our limit.s, on the strength of a single specimen shot on Long Island, N. Y. This is tin' 

 Egyptian (loose, Chenalopex tfijyptidcuis, of South Europe and Northern Africa — a common s)>ccieH 

 in aviaries ; so that it is altogether probable that the example in (luestiou was one escaped fniiii 

 confinement. The genus C/«"?i((/'</>c.c differs from all the Xirth Anu-rican (Jeese in its style of 

 coloration, the wing-coverts being white, ami the secondaries metallic purplish ; tlie maxillarv 

 toinium hangs over the mandible so as almost to conceal it terminally, the bill being muidi de- 

 ]ire.t.sed at the taid, and very di-ep thrtmgh the base ; the h'gs are lengtheneil, the tarsus consider- 

 ably exceeding the middle toe in length ; \\w. hallux well <Iev(do|ied. The cidors of V. frgijptiucu.f 

 are as follows : Head whiti.sh, with an ehmgated patch surrounding the eye, and a collar encircling 

 the lower part of the neck, chestnut rulbus ; neck light bniwni.sh giity ; breast, back, scapulars, 

 sides, and flanks pale fulvous, finely undulated with dusky ; outer webs of tertials (inner second- 

 aries) ])lain cbestnut-rufous ; alxlomen, anal region, anrl wing-cov(!rts white, the greater coverts 

 Ijarred near the end with black, forming a single narrow bar across the wing ; secondaries dark 

 metallic purplish ; primaries, primary-coveits, and aluhc, rump, upper tail-coveits, and tail ])laiii 



• By "na.sal cnvity" is hert; meant not the n]H'ning of the external ncstrils, but the opening in the 

 maxillary bone, chicily covennl hy tlie overlying niumbraue. 



