Variation in colour of Wild Geese. 55


VARIATION IN COLOUR OF WILD

GEESE.


By Maurice Portae.


Variation from the normal in Grey Lag Geese or Pink-foot

Geese is uncommon though by no means unknown.


A White Grey Lag Goose visited Uist for some years before

coming to an untimely end by a chance shot.


It is probably a rare occurrence, as it is so seldom seen in

spite of the great numbers which make South Uist a home for the

winter or a resting-place on migration and immigration.


Two years ago a Cream-coloured Goose in immature plumage

was seen on the Solway and eventually killed. It proved to he a

young male in good plumage—the colour of the feathers was a uniform

sandy-cream colour, slightly darker at the extremities. This year a

White Goose has appeared — pure white, except that the head is

brown-cream colour—whether it is a Grey Lag or a Pink-foot I am

unable to say, as I have not had time to go and see it with a tele¬

scope. There is also another uniformly coloured Cream Goose in,

but that may pass on, as it is early yet in the season.


The White Goose is not a Snow Goose, as it has no black

feathers in the wings, and its head is as stated.


It may be possible that it is one of the cream-coloured ones

of more mature age, and that cream colour turns into white with

mature moulting.


If one could catch it alive one might learn much, but the

chance is too remote to hope for or expect.


That variations are rare is proved by the fact that these three

instances are the only ones noted in the past seventeen years out of

the many thousands of geese which pass up and down the Solway

or remain there for a few months.



