268 
Birds of framhia. 
he spared for this series in this issue and must reserve my 
accounts of the Rev. J. M. Paterson's and Mrs. Travis's aviaries 
till our next issue. 
'('rTo he continued). 
■ I ! ' 
Birds of Gambia. 
By E. Hopkinson, D.S.O., M.A., M.B. 
Continued from pa<je 239. 
Neitopus auritus.. G-OOSE-TEAL. 
Range. Tropical Africa, Madag'ascar. (H.L). 
These funny little Geese are quite common in the Gambia in 
certain localities, particularly in the South Bank Province, "where 
many of the swamps are large and full of pools and lagoons all 
the year round. The main river itself appears to have no attrac- 
tions, a|nd they prefer the gi'e^ater privacy of the waters in the swamps, 
a^nd on tliese one finds them in small parties, swimming and diving 
like Moor-hens. These haunts they are very loth to leave, and when 
disturbed trust to their diving powers and the shelter of the water- 
weeds and rushes rather then to flight. These birds are most ex- 
cellent eating, hut are difficult to get even when shot withoufl 
deep wading, or 'better still, a really keen small boy, who does not 
fear water. 
Their little plump 'bodies and legs set on so far back gives 
them a funny appearance on land and greatly handicaps their walk- 
ing powers, which however I do not think they ever try very much. 
The following description I take fix>m Stark and Sclater's Birds of 
South Africa. " ^^dult Male. Forehead, sides of the face, chin, 
throat, and an almost complete ring round the middle of the; neck 
white; crown and a narrow band down the tack of the, neck dark 
metallic -green, separating a pale green patch on either side of 
the neck ; this aigjain is seijarated by a narrow lint) of black from 
the white of the face and throat; lower neck all round, sid'es of 
the 'body and flanks rufous-chestnut, slightly speckled with green on 
the lower hind neck ; the lower 'breast and abdomen pure white, and 
the under tail-coverts dark brown; upper surface, including the tail- 
coveirts and most of the wing-cdverts d'ark meftallic-green ; the 
primaries and tail-quills Tjlack ; the outer primary coverts and some 
of the outer secondaries white, forming a longitudinal white band 
in ,the closea wing. 
" Ms dark 'brown to bluish ; Ijiil bright yellow with a very 
dark 'brown nail; legs and feet bluish -black, shading' on the hinder 
part of the legs to yellowish. 
"Length a'bout 12.5; wing 6.25; tail 3.0; tarsus 1.0; 
culmen 1.0. 
" The female is duller in colour throughout, the forehead and 
sides of the face ar© spotted and mottled with brown ; there is np 
