RUFIBRENTA RUFICOLLIS. 89 



(17) RUFIBEENTA RUFICOLLIS. 

 THE EED-BREASTED GOOSE. 



Branta ruficoUis, Bengal Sporting Mag. 1836, vii, p. 247 ; Bhjth, Ibis, 1870, 

 p. 176; Oaies, Game-B. i\, -p. 7S ; Salvadorl, Cat. B. 21. xxvii, p. 124; 

 Stuart Baher, Jour. B. jV. ff. S. xvi. 



Rufibrenta ruficoUis, AlpheraTcy, Geese, p. 140. 



Description. Adult male. — " Entire crown and hind-neck black ; the black of 

 the crown extends through tlie eye to the chin and throat, leaving a large 

 round white patch between the eye and the bill ; on the ear-coverts a chestnut 

 angular patch, surrounded with white, ending in a white band down the sides of 

 the neck ; neck and upper breast rich chestnut, surrounded below by a white 

 narrow band ; back, rump, lower breast, and upper abdomen black ; upper 

 tail-coverts, lower abdomen, and under tail-coverts white ; flanks white, with black 

 bands at the tip of the feathers ; wings brown-black, the upper coverts with 

 pale edgings, which on the middle and greater wing-coverts form two greyish 

 bands ; tail black : ' bill almost black ; irides hazel ; legs and feet dark brown, 

 almost black ' {Saunders).^' (Salvadori.) 



The female only differs from the male in being somewhat smaller, the colours 

 are equally bright. 



Young birds in second year. — " Shiny black of plumage replaced by brown ; 

 instead of a rufous patch in the aural region, a similar grey-brown one, with 

 more or less admixture of rufous plumules, the whole patch being of indefinite 

 outline, mingling with the surrounding whitish (not white) streak. As regards 

 the rufous colouring of the anterior part of neck and upper breast, it can only 

 be said that it is a lighter (rufous-buff) than in adult birds. White transverse 

 bar, bordering inferiorly the rufous of upper breast, less definite, and no black 

 margin between this and the rufous, or only in the shape of a few black-brown 

 plumules. 



" Tail-feathers with very narrow white or whitish tips. Underside of wings 

 and axillaries grey-brown. 



" Feathering on chin with a large admixture of white featherlets, giving it a 

 finely mottled appearance. 



" Tips of greater wing-coverts light buff ; consequently both transverse bars 

 across the wing are of this colour and not white." {Alpheraky .) 



Dimensions. — " "Wing 13-7 to 14-1 inches, tail 5*90 to 6-0, culmen 1-6 to 1-1, 

 tarsus 2 to 204." {ApMraky.) 



The Red-breasted Groose has been found to occur practically throughout 

 Europe, though there is as yet nothing on record as to its appearance in 

 Spain. To the extreme west it is rare, and to the west generally less 



