258 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



to south Carolina, rare Florida, and Louisiana ; casual British 

 Columbia, Barbados. 



[Note. — The Black Brent Goose, Branta bernicla nigricans (Lawr.) r 

 which breeds on the Arctic coast and islands of western N, America and in 

 arctic Siberia from Lena eastwards, was stated by the late F. Coburn to have 

 been taken in Staffs., Nov., 1895, Warwick, Nov., 1897 and Norfolk, Feb. y 

 1902, Jan., 1907 and Jan., 1909 (Gurney, Zool., 1908, pp. 121-3, 1910, p. 123, 

 Coburn, Rep. and Trans. N. Staffs. F. Club, xliv, pp. 121-5), but we do not 

 consider the records to be satisfactory,] 



[Note. — The Canada Goose, Branta canadensis canadensis (L.), an 

 inhabitant of North America, has been domesticated in this country for more 

 than two centuries, and now breeds ferally in many places, but there is no 

 evidence that truly wild birds have evef visited us (cf. Yarrell, iv, p. 295 ; 

 Saunders, p. 412).] 



[Note. — Many examples of the introduced Egyptian Goose, Chenalopex 

 cegyptiacus (L.), an inhabitant of Africa and Palestine, have been killed in 

 various parts of the country (Yarrell, iv, p. 330 ; Saunders, p. 412).] 



[Note. — Examples, undoubtedly introduced , of the Spur-winged Goose. 

 Plectropterus gambensis (L.), an inhabitant of tropical Africa, have been killed 

 in this country (Yarrell, iv, p. 304 ; Saunders, p. 412).] 



Genus TADORNA Mem, 



Tadorna Fleming, Philos. of Zool., n, p. 260 (1822 — Monotype and by 

 tautonymy : T. tadorna). 



Bill rather concave, "nail" narrow, sharply bent down and 

 recurved over lower mandible, old male in breeding season with 

 prominent knob at base of bill. At bend of wing a conspicuous 

 horny knob. Large green speculum, inner secondaries chestnut- 

 rufous. Tail slightly rounded, 14 rectrices. Third primary longest. 

 Sexes nearly alike. One species, but if radjah from Papuan Islands 

 and Australia is not generically separated two. 



TADORNA TADORNA 



298. Tadorna tadorna (L.)— THE SHELD-DUCK. 



Anas Tadorna Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i. p. 122 (1758 — Coasts of 



Europe. Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Tadorna cornuta (S. G. Gmelin), Yarrell, iv, p. 352 ; Saunders, p. 419. 



Description. — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Head and neck 

 all round dull green, in some lights tinged amethyst; chin and 

 throat sometimes dull blackish -green ; small white mark below 

 eye ; extreme point of chin sometimes white, area varying in size : 

 lower -neck white ; broad tawny band across upper-mantle extend- 

 ing on to breast (sometimes feathers bordering lower-mantle ver- 

 miculated brown-black) ; scapulars mostly black glossed dull green, 

 when fresh faintly edged whitish (in some short scapulars minutely 

 freckled tawny), many with one web more or less white, remainder 

 entirely white, some with black- brown vermiculations ; remaining 

 upper-parts white (upper tail-coverts sometimes tipped black-brown); 

 lower -neck and upper -breast white ; across breast a broad band, 

 tawny at sides merging into black in centre, black continued down 



