THE WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE 177 



the tip, adapted for cropping vegetable food ; the wings are large 

 and powerful ; the legs, placed under the centre of the body, 

 afford some facility in walking, and the webbed feet are eminently 

 fitted for paddling, but rarely employed in diving. They spend 

 the greater portion of the year in high latitudes, where their arrival 

 is celebrated with great rejoicings, as an indication of returning 

 summer. They are eminently gregarious, flying generally in the 

 form of a half-opened pair of compasses, with the angle in front, 

 or in an irregular wavy line, and uttering a loud harsh cry, which 

 may often be heard some time before the birds themselves are in 

 sight. 



The present species, which is supposed by some to be the origin 

 of the domestic Goose, was formerly of common occurrence in 

 Great Britain, but is now much less frequent. It breeds in northern 

 Scotland, coming south from autumn to spring. On their arrival 

 in autumn, they resort to marshes and swamps, meadows, corn- 

 fields, and turnip-fields, especially such as are remote from human 

 dwellings. There they feed by day on such vegetable substances 

 as faU in their way, but they are said to prefer the young shoots of 

 com to any other kind of food. So wary are they and difficult 

 of approach, that a ' Wild Goose chase ' is a proverbial expression 

 for an unsuccessful enterprise. At night they retire to the broad 

 flats near the sea, or to the mouths of rivers, where they roost on 

 the ground. YarreU is of opinionlS' that the term " lag", as applied 

 to this Goose, is either a modification of the English word "lake", 

 the Latin lacus, or perhaps an abbreviation of the Italian " lago", 

 from which latter country it is even probable that we may originally 

 have obtained this our domesticated race.' 



THE WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE 



ANSER ALBIFRONS 



Folded wings reaching a little beyond the tail ; bill orange-yellow, the nail 

 white ; a large space on the forehead pure white, surrounded by a dusky 

 band ; upper plumage ash-brown, varied with grey, dull white, and bluish 

 black ; under plumage in front brownish white, with patches and bars 

 of black ; behind white ; irides dark brown ; feet orange. Length two 

 feet three inches. Eggs white, tinged with buff. 



A REGULAR visitor to the British Isles, coming late in the autiunn 

 to stay till spring, usually seen in small flocks of from eight to twenty 

 birds ; it is entirely graminivorous, and, when undisturbed, usually 

 rests at night in any grass-field where it may have been feeding 

 in the afternoon. 



Its habits, during its stay in these latitudes, are simHiar to those of 



B.B. N 



