WILD FOWL 
KEY TO THE SPECIES OF SWANS, GEESE, DUCKS AND 
MERGANSERS TO BE MET WITH IN THE BRITISH ISLES.* 
I. Neck very long, as long or even longer than the body ; entire 
plumage white ; size very large; wing over 20 inches . . . 
A. No knob at the base of the bill. 
a. Black on the apical portion of the bill does not extend nearly 
to the forehead and on the sides reaches only half way to the 
gape: larger; bill 42 inches; wing 25*0 inches. Femalesmaller 
b. Black on the apical portion of the bill extends towards the 
forehead and backwards to the gape : smaller ; bill 3*8 inches ; 
wing 21*0 inches. Female smaller 
B. A prominent knob at the base of the bill ; bill 4*2 inches ; 
wing 27*0 inches. Female smaller ; knob less developed . . 
II. Neck moderate, much shorter than the body, entire plumage 
never white, the primary quills at least being always black ; 
wing less than 20 inches. 
C. Hind toe narrowly lobed. (See Figs. 1 and 2.) 
c. Size larger, wing 13 to 19 inches; bill rather short and thick, 
the depth at the base being more than half the total length. 
(See Fig. 5.) 
a'. Teeth in the upper mandible conspicuous when the bill 
is closed and viewed from the side ; feet pink or orange. 
a~. Plumage of the body not white ; mostly grey and 
brown sometimes mixed with black 
a^. No white on the forehead, or only a very nar- 
row line at the base of the bill. 
a\ Head brown. 
Bill about 2*5 inches in length, with the 
nail and basal part black, and the middle 
portion orange ; feet orange ; size larger ; 
wing 19*0 inches. Female smaller • • 
b\ Bill about 1*9 inch in length, with the 
nail and basal part black, and the middle 
portion pink; feet pink; size smaller; 
wing 17*0 inches. Female smaller • • 
b\ Head brownish-grey ; bill about 2*4 inches 
in length, with the nail white and the re- 
maining portion flesh-colour or orange; legs 
pink; wing 17*5 inches. Female smaller. . 
b^. Forehead conspicuously white. 
c\ Larger ; bill about 2*0 inches in length ; 
wing 15*5 inches. Female smaller . • • 
Swans: Cygnus 
Whooper: 
Cygnus cygnus, p. 302. 
Bewick’s Swan : 
C. bewicki, p. 303. 
Mute Swan : C. olor, 
p. 305. 
Grey Geese: Anser 
Bean-Goose: 
A. fabalis, p. 312. 
Pink-footed Goose : 
A . brachyrhynchus, p. 314. 
Grey Lag-Goose: 
A . anser, p. 307. 
White-fronted Goose : 
A . albifrons, p. 309. 
*N.B. — The length of the bill is always measured from the feathering on the forehead to the tip. The length of the 
wing is measured from the bend to the tip of the longest flight-feather. 
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