76 ORNAMENTAL WATERFOWL. 
sale, though I have seen specimens in excellent condition at 
Mr. W. Jamrach’s establishment, the price asked being £5 to 
46 a couple. 
Mr. F. E. Blaauw, in the “Ibis,” of January, 1904, writes 
as follows :— 
“My old pair of Snow Geese ( Chen hyperboreus ) which I have had 
since the year 1888, bred again last Spring. They sat on three eggs only, 
but I believe that the nest had been robbed of part of its contents by a pair 
of cranes. It was, as usual, full of down, and was situated under a bush 
near the edge of the pond. In about four weeks the three eggs were 
hatched. The young of this Goose when in down is grey, darker on the 
back and lighter on the under side. The head is yellow, with a dark mark 
on the occiput. The bill and legs are black. These birds grow very 
rapidly, much more quickly than the young of the Bernicles and their allies. 
The first plumage is extremely beautiful, especially when the feathers are 
just appearing between the still conspicuous patches of down. The birds 
then look as if they were clad in unbumished silver. Later, much of the 
delicate beauty of the colouration fades, and the plumage may then be 
described as follows :—General colour, silver grey (with a very slight 
brownish tinge), darkest on the back and hind part of the neck, and nearly 
white on the breast and belly. There is a dark mark on the occiput which 
is also observable in the downy dress. Each of the darker grey feathers of 
the back has a white edging, varying in width. The tail feathers are white, 
with a grey spot in the centre. The large flight feathers are black, although 
the black is not so intense as it is in the adult bird. The bill and legs, 
which are black in the goslings, soon become brighter. The bill gradually 
passes from black to pink. The legs, however, first change from black to 
yellowish grey or greenish, and to pink afterwards. In October the first 
white feathers begin to appear, and the birds gradually assume the white 
plumage of the adult.” 
Male.—Fore part of head yellowish; remainder of 
plumage pure white; primaries black; large wing-coverts pale 
grey; bill red, the edges blackish, deeply dentated ; legs and 
feet red; eye brown. 
Female.—The same. 
Young.—In first plumage, upper-parts greyish-brown ; 
under-body white; bill reddish-brown; legs and feet bluish- 
brown. 
