CREA3I- COLOURED GOOSE. 217 



little-known goose^ which he says inhabits the Falkland 

 Islands^ we shall place his description before that of 

 Dr. Latham, which will be subsequently noticed. 

 Brown states the length of his bird to be three feet four 

 inches. The bill is small and dusky : the head, neck^ 

 and all the under parts of the body are of a snowy 

 whiteness : the upper part of the back is barred with 

 black and white : the wing covers are white ; the 

 secondaries marked with a dusky broad band, and an- 

 other of white : the speculum is green ; and the prima- 

 ries are dusky : the middle feathers of the tail are glossed 

 with green ; the others are white : legs black. 



Dr. Latham makes the above bird identical with the 

 bustard goose, of which he gives the following different 

 description : — Length, from thirty to forty inches. BiU 

 scarcely two inches long, and black : head, neck, lesser 

 wing covers, and under parts of the body white : lower 

 part of the neck behind, and as far as the middle of 

 the back, crossed by numerous dusky black lines ; sides, 

 over the thighs, the same : the greater wing covers 

 black, tipt with white, forming a bar of Avhite on the 

 wing; at the bend a blunt knob: second quills, part 

 black, part white ; prime ones dusky black : speculum 

 dark green: the two middle tail feathers black; the 

 others white. 



This latter goose, the doctor observes, " stands pretty 

 high on its legs, which serve to elevate it above the tall 

 grass ; and with the addition of its long neck, it is able 

 to observe any danger approaching. It walks and flies 

 with great ease, and has not that disagreeable cackling 

 cry pecuhar to the rest of its kind. It generally lays 

 six eggs. The flesh was considered agreeable." 



The Cream-coloured Goose. 



We insert the following short and unsatisfactory 

 notice of this goose, if such it be, in the precise words 

 of Dr. Latham, in his General History of Birds (x. 

 296.), with a view to call the attention of our Austra- 



