520 MR. HOWARD SAUNDERS ON ANSER ALBATUS. [Mar. 19, 



skinned : — General colour of the upper surface greyish brown ; the 

 feathers white at the base, then brownish grey with whitish edge ; 

 forehead and sides of face whitish ; wing-coverts grey in centre of 

 feather edged with white ; quills black ; shafts white, shading off 

 into brown towards tips, the secondaries with a narrow whitish bor- 

 der ; rump and tail-coverts pure white ; tail white, with a tinge of 

 grey round the shaft of the middle feathers ; under surface of the 

 body white, slightly tinged with grey on the neck ; under wing- 

 coverts and axillaries white ; bill nearly black, with a reddish tinge, 

 especially on the lower mandible ; tarsi and feet lead-colour, running 

 into yellowish red, especially on the webs close to the toes. 



We supposed, at the time, that these were Anser hyperboreus, 

 Pallas, of which the occurrence in Europe has already been recorded ; 

 but on comparing them with specimens in the British Museum, they 

 appeared to be nearly as much too small for that species as they were 

 too large for A. rossii, Baird. Besides the latter is still further 

 distinguished by the caruncles at the base of the bill,- which have in- 

 duced Mr. D. G. Elliot to give it the new generic name of Exan- 

 themops. Mr. Elliot having enjoyed the advantage of examining 

 the type specimen of Anser albatus, Cassin, which he has figured 

 in his ' Birds of North America,' vol. ii. p. 42, his suggestion that 

 these birds might prove to be young of that species carried with it 

 great weight ; and subsequent careful and detailed examination and 

 comparison with specimens kindly lent me by Professor Newton, 

 out of the Hepburn Collection, Cambridge University Museum, 

 have convinced me not only that these two birds are A. albatus, 

 but that three of those from the Hepburn Collection also belong to 

 that species, and not to A. hyperboreus. 



In the original description given by Mr. John Cassin, 'Proc. xlcad. 

 Nat. Sc. Phil.' 1856, p. 41, he gives the habitat of A. albatus as 

 " Western and Northern America, Oregon, rare on the Atlantic. A 

 single specimen from Oregon is in the collection of the Exploring 

 Expedition in the ' Vincennes' and 'Peacock ;' and four specimens, 

 which occurred in pairs, have come under my notice in the market 

 in Philadelphia in the course of twenty years. These five specimens 

 are all that I have seen of this species ; and it is very probably of rare 

 occurrence on the coast of the Atlantic. The four specimens alluded 

 to, which are a pair of adults and a pair of young, are now in the 

 collection of the Philadelphia Academy." 



It may be remarked as, at least, a coincidence, that the two young 

 referred to above are also a pair. 



As the difference between Anser hypterboreus and Anser albatus is, 

 after all, principally that of size, I have tabulated the more impor- 

 tant measurements of the two species, heading the list with Cassin' s 

 dimensions of each, followed by those of the specimens I have exa- 

 mined in the order of age as indicated by the plumage. Cassin's 

 measurements are avowedly taken from males ; he states that the 

 female in each species is a trifle smaller ; and whenever the sexes have 

 been ascertained, this is fullv borne out in the present table. 

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