244



On the Buddy-headed Goose.



The goslings in down have dark grey markings on a greyish

white undersurface.


Gooilust, 1913.


ifr


By Hubert D. Astley, M.A., F.Z.S., etc.


I might supplement Mr. Blaauw’s remarks upon this beautiful

little goose, and record the fact that apart from his birds I have had

two females, imported from the Falkland Islands one in 1900, and

another in 1911. These were presented to me through the kindness

of a lady living near Newbury, whose brother had them sent to her.

From the 1900 bird, several were reared, mated to a gander which

Mr. Blaauw sent me, and from the young goose imported not quite

two years ago. I hope to have more goslings, with a strain of

good fresh blood in their veins, mated as she is to one of the finest

ganders I ever saw.


That I received no more from the Falkland Islands was very

unfortunate, for two others died, either on the voyage home or im¬

mediately after they arrived. However I have tw T o breeding pairs,

and with the fresh blood one ought to be able to keep up a good

stock. These little Bernicles are exceedingly pugnacious in the

nesting season, so that only one pair can occupy an enclosure ; and

last year a breeding gander nearly drove my pair of Lesser White-

fronted Geese to death, although the four birds were in a large

enclosure, with a pond dividing the grass land.


None of my birds have the pearl-grey on the underparts that

Mr. Blaauw describes, but the foxy red is so handsome that I would

not wish them otherwise. The time to see this colour is when the

sun is setting, lighting up their breasts with a warm glow.


I find these geese are very fond of Melox, especially in the

winter time, and it helps to keep them in good health, when grass is

not abundant.


The gander is decidedly richer in the fox-red colouring than

the goose, and he stands higher than his mate. When the sexes are

seen together it is not at all difficult to distinguish them ; and the

male bird’s head and upper neck is a clearer colour than the female’s.


Last year, perhaps from too much in-breeding, I had one

gosling out of a brood of four, which was born blind, and I could



