ANSERES 



ALOPOCHEN 



129 



uuder tail-coverts ; centre of the back, upper tail-coverts, tail, 

 primaries and outer secondaries black, the latter glossed with 

 metallic green and purple, inner secondaries dark rufous ; whole of 

 the wing-coverts white, the greater series with a narrow subterminal 

 black band. 



Iris orange to crimson ; bill light pink, darker or pinky-brown 

 on the tip, margins and base ; legs pink. 



Length 28 ; wing 16 ; tail 5-25 ; tarsus 3-30 ; culmen 2-5 ; 

 weight of a male 5|lbs., of a female 41bs. (Ayres). 



The sexes are alike, except that the female is slightly smaller. 



Fig. 39. — Head of Alopochen cegyptiacus. 



Distribution. — The Egyptian Goose or Berg Gans is found 

 throughout Africa south of the Sahara, while to the north-east its 

 range extends through Nubia and Egypt as far as Palestine. It 

 does not occur in Madagascar. In England and on the Continent 

 of Europe it has been met with from time to time, but this is 

 probably due to escapes from captivity, in which state it is often 

 kept. 



In South Africa this is by far the commonest of the larger 

 Ducks, and is to be found throughout the whole country, both on 

 the coasts, along the rivers, and on ponds and vleis. 



The following are recorded localities ; Cape Colony — Verloren 

 Vlei in Piquetberg, Vogel Vlei in Paarl, Bot Eiver mouth in Caledon, 

 Gouritz Eiver in Mossel Bay and Keurboom Eiver in Knysna 

 (Layard), King Williams Town, rare (Trevelyan), Port St. John's, 

 July (Shortridge), Zak Eiver in Fraserburg, September, and near 

 Kuruman (Burchell), Orange Eiver mouth (Howard), near Upington, 

 breeding in October (Bradshaw), near AHwal North, February 

 ("Whitehead) ; Natal — Newcastle, October (Butler), Ifafa and near 

 Maritzburg, rare (Woodward) ; Basutoland (Murray) ; Transvaal — 



9 VOL. II. 



