206 BRENT GOOSE. 



the outer with a thick margin, the inner with the margin extended into a 

 two-lobed web. Claws small, arched, rather depressed, especially that of the 

 middle toe, which has the inner margin expanded. 



Plumage close, rather short, compact above, blended on the head, neck, 

 and lower parts of the body. The feathers of the head and neck small and 

 oblong, of the back very broad and abruptly rounded, of the breast and belly 

 broadly rounded. Wings, when closed, extending a little beyond the end of 

 the tail; primaries very strong, decurved, the first longest, the second almost 

 equal; secondaries long, broad, rounded. Tail very short, rounded, of 

 sixteen feathers. 



Bill and feet black. Iris hazel. Head and neck all round black, glossed 

 with blue. A small streak under the eye, and a spot on the chin, white; on 

 each side of the neck a patch of the same formed by a number of the feathers 

 which have a white band near the end. The general colour of the upper 

 parts is brownish-grey, the feathers terminally margined with light greyish- 

 brown; the quills, and primary coverts greyish-black, the primaries darker; 

 the upper tail-coverts white, the tail greyish-black. The fore part of the 

 breast is light brownish-grey, the feathers terminally margined with greyish- 

 white; the grey tint gradually fades into white, which is the colour of the 

 abdomen, sides of the rump and lower tail-coverts; the sides of the body 

 grey, the feathers broadly tipped with white; axillar feathers and lower 

 wing-coverts grey. 



Length to end of tail 24|- inches, to end of claws 25^; extent of wings 48; 

 bill along the ridge lj%, along the edge of lower mandible 1 T 4 2; wing from 

 flexure 13; tail 4^; tarsus H; hind toe ff, its claw yf ; middle toe l-^, its 

 claw f"f. Weight 3i lbs. 



Adult Female. 



The female, which is somewhat smaller, is similar to the male. 



Length to end of tail 23 inches, to end of wings 24, to end of claws 23|; 

 extent of wings 44|-. Weight 2\ lbs. 



An adult female procured by Dr. Thomas M. Brewer of Boston. 



The roof of the mouth is concave, with a median row of short papillae, 

 two lateral series of flattened laminae, and some irregularly scattered 

 intermediate prominences, the lower mandible more concave. The tongue 

 is fleshy, with the base papillate, the sides parallel and furnished with 

 recurved papillae, the tip rounded and thin, the entire length 1 inch 5 

 twelfths. The oesophagus, a, which is 13 inches long, is exceedingly 

 slender, its diameter when contracted not being greater than that of the 

 windpipe, or about 4 twelfths, but it is capable of being dilated to 6 twelfths; 

 its inner coat thrown into prominent longitudinal rugae. The proventriculus, 

 a b, is enlarged to the breadth of 11 twelfths, its glandules simple, cylindrical, 



