EGYPTIAN GOOSE. 
89 
lowisli brown, paler on the fore part, and on the 
back reddish brown ; the upper part of the back, 
the breast and flanks, pale yellowish brown, mi- 
nutely waved with a darker tint, centre of the 
breast and belly nearly white, with a patch of 
chestnut-brown where these parts may be said to 
join ; vent and under tail-covers buff oraDge ; the 
lower back, rump, upper tail-covers and tail, black; 
wings, as far as the greater covers, pure white, the 
latter having a deep black bar near their tip ; the 
scapulars and tertials chestnut red, greyish brown 
on the inner webs, secondaries black at the tips, and 
with the outer webs brilliant varying green, quills 
black, carpal joint with a prominent tubercle; a 
fine specimen killed on Holy Island, and procured 
for me by Mr. Selby, does not materially differ, the 
white on the wings being slightly clouded. 
The other insulated genus to -which we alluded, 
Plectropterus of Leach, or the Spur-winged 
Geese, named from having the wings armed at the 
carpal joints with tubercles or spurs. It is con- 
sidered by Mr. Swainson as a rasorial type. The 
species which has been killed in Britain is the 
Plectropterus Gambensis, introduced into our 
Fauna upon a single specimen killed in Cornwall 
in June 1821, presented to Mr. Bewick, serving 
for the figure in his Water-birds, and now de- 
posited in the museum at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 
It w r as seen for several days near a small fishing- 
place, associated with the common geese at a farm 
in the vicinity, and was much disturbed before being 
