THE WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. 211 



slender. Body full, slightly depressed. Feet rather short, strong, placed 

 rather behind the centre of the body; legs bare a little above the joint; tarsus 

 rather short, a little compressed, covered all round with angular reticulated 

 scales, which are smaller behind; hind toe very small, with a narrow 

 membrane; third toe longest, fourth considerably shorter, but longer than 

 second; all the toes reticulated above at the base, but with narrow transverse 

 scutella towards the end; the three anterior connected by a reticulated 

 membrane, the outer having a thick margin, the inner with the margin 

 extended into a two-lobed web; claws small, arched, rather compressed, 

 obtuse, that Of the middle toe bent obliquely outwards and depressed, with a 

 curved edge. 



Plumage close, full, compact above, blended on the neck and lower part of 

 the body, very short on the head. Feathers of the head and neck very 

 narrow, on the latter part disposed in oblique series separated by grooves, of 

 the back very broad and abrupt, of the breast and belly broadly rounded. 

 Wings rather long, broad; primaries incurved, broad, towards the end 

 tapering, the second longest, first and third about equal, first and second 

 sinuate on the inner web, second and third on the outer; secondaries long, 

 very broad, rounded. Tail very short, rounded, of sixteen broad rounded 

 feathers. 



Bill carmine-red, the unguis of both mandibles white. Edges of eyelids 

 dull orange; iris hazel. Feet orange, webs lighter; claws white. Head and 

 neck rich greyish-brown, the upper part of the former darker; a white band, 

 margined behind with blackish-brown on the anterior part of the forehead 

 along the bill. The general colour of the back is deep grey, the feathers of 

 its fore part broadly tipped with greyish-brown, the rest with greyish-white; 

 the hind part of the back pure deep grey. Wings greyish-brown, but 

 towards the edge ash-grey, as are the primary coverts, and outer webs of the 

 primaries; the rest of the primaries and the secondaries are greyish-black, the 

 latter with a narrow edge of greyish-white, the former edged and tipped 

 with white. Breast, abdomen, lower tail-coverts, sides of the rump and 

 upper tail-coverts, white, but the breast and sides patched with brownish- 

 black; on the latter intermixed with greyish-brown feathers. 



Length to end of tail 21\ inches, to end of wings 26, to end of claws 28^-; 

 extent of wings 60; wing from flexure 14^; tail 4f; bill along the back l T 8 j, 

 along the edge of lower mandible l^; tarsus 2i; middle toe 2 T %, its claw -fy. 

 Weight 5i lbs. 



Adult Female. 



The female, which is somewhat smaller, resembles the male; the white 

 margins of the wing-feathers not so distinct. Weight 4 lbs. 4 oz. 



The gizzard is very large, its muscular coat an inch and a half thick at the 



