THE WHITE -FRONTED GOOSE. 237 



ANSER ALBIFRONS 



289. Anser albifrons (Scop.)— THE WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. 



Branta albifrons Scopoli, Annus 1 Historic© -Natur., p. 69 (1769 — 

 Specimen in " Museum Turrianum," presumably from N. Italy). 

 Anser albifrons (Scopoli), Yarrell, iv, p. 261 ; Saunders, p. 399. 



Description (Plate 5). — Adult male and female. Winter. — Fore- 

 head and broad band at lateral base of bill white, bordered behind 

 by black or brown-black band, merging into dark ash-brown of 

 crown ; nape and upper-mantle dark ash-brown, in some tinged 

 rich buff-brown or bistre-brown ; rest of mantle and scapulars very 

 dark ash-brown edged lighter brown, fading at tip to brownish- 

 white, some feathers of mantle with dark grey bloom ; lower 

 scapulars dark sepia ; back and rump dark sepia, feathers in some 

 with dark grey bloom, edged at tip with lighter brown, those 

 bordering upper tail-coverts in some more or less tipped white ; 

 sides of back and rump white ; upper tail-coverts white, sometimes 

 some with central ash-brown streaks ; feathers on intercrural 

 space usually more or less white (white sometimes absent), bordered 

 behind in some by black or black-brown, sometimes with two 

 parallel blackish streaks extending on to chin ; small white patch 

 in some under eye ; sides of face and rest of neck ash-brown ; 

 upper-breast pale ash-brown, feathers fringed bufhsh-white ; sides 

 of body and flanks as mantle, but sometimes intermixed with black 

 feathers, outer feathers edged white on outer web ; thighs ash- 

 brown ; rest of breast, belly and vent greyish-white or pale 

 ash-brown, more or less mixed with irregular spots and patches 

 of black, isolated or more or less confluent, and sometimes breast 

 and belly very heavily marked black ; vent and under tail- 

 coverts white ; axillaries and under wing-coverts dark ash-brown ; 

 tail-feathers sepia tipped white, outer webs and in some inner 

 narrowly bordered white, outer feathers sometimes with inner 

 webs more or less white ; primaries brown-black with white 

 shafts (brown towards tip), outer primaries with grey bloom on 

 basal two-thirds ; secondaries brown-black, outer webs and tips 

 usually narrowly bordered white, innermost and their coverts with 

 outer webs as mantle and faintly edged white ; primary-coverts 

 and bastard-wing dark ash-grey ; greater coverts sepia with dark 

 grey bloom and tipped white ; lower median coverts as mantle ; 

 lesser and rest of median wing-coverts and lesser and median 

 primary-coverts ash-brown with dark grey bloom and lighter brown 

 tips. This plumage is acquired by complete moult July to Jan. ; 

 remiges are shed together in July, body and tail moult usually com- 

 mencing in earnest later. Summer, — There appears to be a partial 

 moult Feb. and March, involving feathers of head, neck and 

 scattered body-feathers, sometimes an odd tail-feather but possibly 

 such birds may be completing a delayed winter-moult. Coloration 

 as winter, but edges of feathers of upper-parts more or less worn off. 

 Nestling. — Down on crown, centre of nape, rest of upper-parts, 



