96 Geese of Europe and Asia 



Adult Female 



On the whole somewhat inferior to male in size and weight, and colouring of soft- 

 parts somewhat paler than in the latter. I could discern no difference in the plumage. 



Young Birds (Second and Third Year) 



General colouring darker than in adults, with duller rufous brown edgings to feathers 

 and more marked rufous tinge on neck. Bill with very limited extent of yellow-orange 

 colouring, concentrated between nail of upper mandible and anterior edge of nasal depression. 

 Here yellow (or yellow-orange) encircles both mandibles, as seen in adult bean-geese 

 (M. segetum). From this feature such young birds have been taken for examples of the 

 latter species. 



In all birds of this age I have examined, from the above-mentioned light ring on the 

 upper mandible there extends posteriorly, under the nares, to a greater or less distance, 

 a wedge-shaped projection or space, which sometimes stretches along the edge itself of 

 the bill. 



Inner surface of upper mandible almost entirely black. Legs and feet yellow with 

 blackish or dingy grey webs, and blackish claws. 



Young Birds in First Plumage 



Still less yellow on bill, head and neck more rufous, and feet dingy yellow. Feathers 

 of under surface of body far narrower than in individuals already moulted. White plumules 

 scarcely ever occur at base of bill. 



Of the young in down I have no knowledge. 



Dimensions of Adult Birds of Both Sexes 



Total length, 730-900 mm. (=28.70-35.40 in.), and only in biggest Turkestan example 905 mm. 



( = 35.60 in.). 

 Expanse, up to 1620 mm. ( = 64 in.), usually somewhat less. 

 Wing, 410-490 mm. (= 1 6. 1 0-19.20 in.), rarely 500 mm. (= 19.60 in.). 

 Culmen, $ 65 to 67 mm. ( = 2.16-2.63 in.), $ 56 to 71.5 mm. ( = 2.20-2.81 in.), and only in one 



case known to me 72 mm. ( = 2.83 in.) — in the Turkestan 6 of Severtsov's collection. 

 Greatest depth of lower mandible, seen from without, with shut bill, 7 to 8^ mm. ( = 0.27-0.33 in.). 

 Breadth of bill opposite middle of nasal apertures, 20-22^ mm. ( = 0.78-0.88 in.). 

 Depth of bill (of both mandibles), opposite middle of nasal apertures, 24-26 mm. ( = 0.94-1.02 in.). 

 Depth of bill at base of both mandibles, 30-33 mm. (= 1.18-1.29 in.), and in one case only, 34 mm. 



(= 1.33 in.) — in the largest Turkestan specimen of Severtsov's collection. 

 Tarsus, about 66-73 mm - ( = 2.59-2.87 in.). 

 Number of teeth on each side of upper mandible, 24-28, and only in one known case 23, but 



unfortunately I have not myself verified this. 

 Weight, from 7 J to 11 Russian lbs. 



Note. — Length of middle digit without claw almost equal to length of tarsus, but in dry specimens this is not easy to measure. 

 I have also convinced myself that, no constant relation exists between the tarsi and the length of the middle toes in any geese, and that 

 individual variations in this respect are very considerable. 



Considering that two or three points are quite sufficient to distinguish the present 

 goose from its East Siberian representative {M. arvensis sibiricus), I give a table of the 

 measurements of a few examples of those I have examined, with the localities where they 

 were obtained. 



