258 Contributions to the Ornitliology of India, Sfc. 



ful sig-ht to see one of these enormous flocks rise suddenly when 

 alarmed ; as you approach them, so long as they remain in the 

 water at rest, they look simply like a mass of faintly rosy snow. 

 A Tifle is firedj and then the exposure of the upper and under 

 coverts of the wing" turns the mass into a gigantic, brilliantly 

 ros\^, scarf, waving to and fro in mighty folds, as it floats away. 



The flamingoe I found swims rapidly and well. A winged 

 bird which fell in deep water kept well a-head of our primitive 

 native punt, and was only secured, when after fully half a mile's 

 swim, the bird began to be exhausted. It did not swim like a 

 swan, with the neck bent backwards over the back, but with the 

 neck nearly straight, and bent slightly forwards, jerking at every 

 stroke, apparently, of its feet, looking in fact as if it was stag- 

 gering along hurriedly in water, just reaching up to its breast, 

 but the water was really 10 or 12 feet deep, so that if its modfi of 

 progression could not fairly be called swimming, it was at any 

 rate " treading water.'' 



944 &^s.— Phoenicopterus minor, Geoffr. Sti Eil. 



I have already (Stray Feathers, p. 31 ante) said all I have to 

 say about this species. I did not myself meet with it in Sindh ; 

 but the fishermen are well acquainted with it and described it by 

 its smaller size and brilliant rosy hue, in such a manner as to 

 leave no possibility of a doubt as to its identity. 



945.— Anser cinereus, Meyer. 



The grey lag goose was excessively abundant along all the 

 greater rivers of the Punjab ; but least so on the Indus in Sindh. 

 We met with it, but comparatively rarely, in the neighbourhood 

 of lakes, and once or twice feeding in the fields. It is not near 

 so common in Sindh as in many parts of the North-Western 

 Provinces. Dr. Jerdon gives the expanse at 54, but this really 

 varies from about 60 to 65. The bean goose (Anser segetum) is 

 said to occur in India, but I have never been fortunate enough 

 to meet with a specimen, or to meet with any one else who had. 

 It is nearly the same size as the grey lag goose, but may be dis- 

 tinguished at once, by having the nail, edges, and base of the 

 bilf blackish, vsrhile in the grey goose these parts are pink and 

 greyish white ; by having the whole legs and feet orange, 

 these being in the grey lag dull fleshy or occasionally pale 

 creamy pink; by having all the wing coverts greyish brown, while 

 in the grey lag the upper and median, and the whole shoulder of 

 the wing are a light grey. I should be very glad to receive 

 authentic information of the occurrence of the bean goose in 

 India. Anser brachyrJiyndms, Baillon, is another goose very rare 

 in India. I have only seen two Indian killed specimens of 



