406 



the Marquis des Reaulx killed on the 10th December, 1856, a female or young male, which was 

 sent to Mr. J. Ray." It does not seem to have been met with in Portugal or Spain ; but two 

 instances of its occurrence in Italy are recorded : one, a specimen now in the Milan Museum, 

 obtained in Lombardy in 1833, is cited by Balsamo-Crivelli ; and Professor Giglioli writes (Ibis, 

 1869, p. 242) as follows: — "On the 12th of February, 1869, a magnificent specimen of the rare 

 Bernicla ruficollis (Pall.) was shot between Scarperia and Borgo San Lorenzo, twenty-two miles 

 or thereabouts from Florence. It was an adult male in full plumage ; and this, I believe, is the 

 only well-authenticated case of the occurrence of this rare eastern Goose in Italy." According 

 to Messrs. Elwes and Buckley (Ibis, 1870, p. 339) Colonel Drummond-Hay says that he once 

 saw a Red-breasted Goose in Macedonia ; but the other authors on the ornithology of Greece do 

 not mention it. Professor von Nordmann does not appear to have met with it in Southern 

 Russia, and merely cites what is recorded by Pallas. Some years ago Mr. Stafford Allen sent me 

 a specimen from Alexandria, which appears to be the most southern locality where it has been 

 obtained. According to Von Middendorff it breeds in Northern Asia. He says that he did not 

 meet with it on the Taimyr river, but that it is said to breed commonly at the mouth of the 

 Pasina. On the Boganida it breeds not unfrequently ; and eggs taken by Von Middendorff on the 

 25th June were but slightly incubated. The egg is figured by him (pi. 20. fig. 3) in his Reise in 

 Nord. & Ost. Sib. From Southern Asia I find no record of its occurrence, except that Blyth 

 remarks (Ibis, 1870, p. 176) that the Geese, four of which were seen near Nagpore, and one 

 procured (Beng. Sport. Mag. April 1836, p. 247), probably belonged to this species. 



As the Red-breasted Goose is only a rare straggler with us, scarcely any thing is known 

 respecting its habits in a wild state. We had a fine male for some time alive in our Zoological 

 Gardens, which I frequently saw, and noticed that it much resembled the Brent Goose in its 

 general habits. It became extremely tame, and would come to the edge of the enclosure to take 

 food from strangers. Respecting the nidification of the present species all that is known are the 

 few details published by Von Middendorff; but it has also been met with breeding on the 

 Caspian. A single egg, one of two which were in the St.-Petersburg Museum, is now in my 

 collection. It resembles the eggs of the Brent Goose, but is smaller, and the surface of the 

 shell is rather smoother than in eggs of that species. 



The specimens figured are an adult and young bird from Astrabad, both in my own collection. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. H. E. Dresser, 



a, b, c, d. Astrabad (Dode). 



E Mus. A. Crichton. 



a, juv. Alexandria, Egypt (S. Stafford Allen) . 



E Mus. J. Roche, 

 a, 6 ad. Astrachan (Schluter). 



E Mus. J. Marshall 

 a, 6 ad. Maldon, Essex, January 6th, 1871. 



