THE ZOOLOGIST. 



were somewhat paler in the colouration of the body plumage, 

 but it can be readily understood that birds coming so many 

 thousands of miles from their usual habitat would be likely to 

 show some modification in their colours. The general types of 

 character are present in all five of my specimens. 



I exhibited this bird before the June meeting of the British 

 Ornithologists' Club, and pointed out its distinctive characters. 

 In the discussion which followed, Mr. Stewart Baker, an authority 

 on Indian birds, fully confirmed my identification, and gave some 

 valuable information as to the colours of bill and legs in living 

 specimens. 



I will now give a full description of the colours of the adult 

 male, comparing them with my finest adult male A. cinereus, one 

 of three, also received from Limerick, and from the same man 

 who sent the A. rubrirostris, but in January, 1896. The same 

 type of colouration runs through the entire series of both species, 

 so that the one can be followed just as easily as the other; in 

 fact, they cannot be mistaken. 



Anser rubrirostris. Adult male. Received from Limerick, 



November 23rd, 1901. 

 Head and neck a delicate and beautiful shade of dove-grey 

 gradually becoming paler on breast and under parts until the 

 abdomen and under tail-coverts become pure white. From the 

 lower neck to abdomen there are numerous broad patches of 

 black, almost as black as in some specimens of A. albifrons. The 

 flanks commence with the same delicate dove-grey, gradually in- 

 creasing to a hoary slate, margined with pale drab and pure 

 white. The mantle is hoary slate, gradually increasing to deep 

 umber on the longest scapulars, all margined with drab. Back 

 and rump a bluish slate. Upper tail-coverts white. The tail 

 has the centres of the feathers hoary slate, fringed and broadly 

 tipped with white, the white increasing until the outer feathers 

 are reached, the two outer ones being almost entirely white. 

 Outer wing-coverts very pale French grey, almost white ; medians 

 pale slaty drab, margined all round with dull white. Primary 

 coverts have the shorter ones hoary slate, fringed and margined 

 with white, the longer ones a velvety hair-brown, distinctly 

 fringed and margined with white. Primaries hoary slate, 



