THE BEAN-GOOSE. 243 



moult from July onwards ; moult of remiges usually appears to be 

 almost completed before body and tail moult commences. Summer. 

 — There appears to be a partial moult in spring (March and early 

 April) involving feathers of head, neck and odd body -feathers, and 

 occasionally some tail-feathers. Coloration as winter but light 

 edges to feathers of upper-parts abraded. 



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

 olive-brown, long filaments of nape and upper-mantle tinged 

 greenish-yellow ; indistinct spot below wing, and bar across 

 yellowish ; black-brown line from side of upper mandible to eye, 

 eye-lids black-brown ; region below eye yellowish, more or less 

 suffused olive-brown ; sides of body and back of thighs dusky- 

 brown ; remaining under-parts whitish-yellow. 



Juvenile. — Like adult, but no indication of white feathers at 

 base of bill ; edges to feathers of mantle, scapulars and wing-coverts 

 browner ; black-brown upper tail-coverts tipped buff, white upper 

 tail-coverts with brownish shaft-streaks or central markings ; sides 

 of body and flanks pale ash-brown tipped buff ; rest of under-parts 

 as in adult, but sometimes feathers more or less suffused towards 

 centre or narrowly streaked or spotted ash-brown ; tail-feathers as 

 in adult, but white borders usually much narrower and in some 

 absent ; wing as in adult, but secondaries including innermost, 

 sometimes without white borders or tips. Feathers of sides and 

 front of neck normal, without pointed tips as in adult ; feathers of 

 mantle, scapulars and under-parts narrower and more rounded at 

 tip, not broad and square as in adult ; tail-feathers, secondaries, 

 greater and median coverts narrower, tail-feathers more pointed 

 and wing-coverts more rounded at tip. 



First winter and summer. — As adult and only to be distinguished 

 by more worn appearance of juvenile wing, especially narrower and 

 more worn greater and median coverts. The juvenile body -feathers 

 (back ?, some feathers of rump) some tail-feathers, sometimes some 

 innermost secondaries and coverts and some median coverts are 

 moulted Oct. to April. 



Second winter and summer. — As adult winter. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 447-473 mm., tail 117- 

 136, tarsus 71-82, bill from feathers 56-64, depth of bill at base of 

 both mandibles 30-33, greatest visible depth of lower mandible 

 with bill shut 7-9 (11 measured). $ wing 424-452, bill 51-60. 

 Primaries : 1st narrow, pointed and slightly more than half longest 

 primary-covert, 3rd longest, 2nd 10-16 mm. shorter, 4th 7-10 

 shorter, 5th 33-40 shorter, 6th 65-72 shorter. Tail with 18 feathers. 

 Bill as in A. anser, but not so stout, narrower towards tip viewed 

 from above, of less depth throughout viewed laterally. Outline of 

 frontal and loral feathering as in A. a. albifrons but less accentuated. 

 Teeth 24-28. Weight 7J-8 lbs. 



Soft parts. — Bill (ad.) variable, in some black with rose-red, 

 orange-pink or orange-yellow band round both mandibles just 

 behind nail, in some as above, but band extending on upper 



VOL. II. R 2 



