228 
ALLEN’S naturalist’s LIBRARV, 
Anser cinereus, Meyer; Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p. 355, pi. 41 1 
(1878); B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 115 (1883); Saunders, 
ed. Yarr. Br. B. iv. p. 253 (1885); Seehohm, Br. B. iii. 
p. 500 (1885); Saunders, Man. p. 385 (1889); Lilford, 
Col. Fig. Br. B. part x.xvi. (1893). 
Adult Male. — General colour above light brown, with ashy 
centres to the feathers and whity-brown margins ; the lower 
back, rump, and upper tail-coverts lavender-grey ; wing-coverts 
like the back, but the lesser series, as well as the coverts round 
the bend of the wing, light bluish-grey, with which colour the 
median and greater coverts are tinged ; bastard-wing bluish 
grey, with somewhat broader white margins, and shaded with 
brown ; primar)'-coverts grey ; primaries blackish, with white 
shafts, the outer ones grey for a considerable portion of their 
length; the secondaries blackish-brown, narrowly edged with 
white; the inner secondaries browner, like the back; sides of 
rump and long upper tail-coverts white ; centre tail-feathers 
ashy-brown, edged and tipped with white, the remainder 
blackish on the outer web and at the base, the dark colour 
disappearing towards the outermost, which are white; head 
and neck light brown, the feathers of the hind-neck somewhat 
lanceolated and forming a soft ruff ; sides of face light ashy- 
brown, with a narrow line of white fringing the base of the 
upper mandible ; under surface of body white, the throat and 
chest ashy-grey, with whitish margins to the feathers ; the breast 
and abdomen slightly mottled with black ; thighs grey ; sides 
of body brown, with whity-brown margins to the feathers ; 
under wing-coverts and axillaries light lavender-grey ; bill 
flesh-coloured, with the nail white ; feet flesh-colour ; iris light 
brown. Total length, 30-0 inches; culmen, 2-6; wing, 17 ‘8; 
tail, 7'o ; tarsus, 3'2. 
Adult Female. — Similiar to the male but smaller. Total 
length 30'o inches ; wing, i6'o. 
Young Birds. — Darker than the adults and having no black on 
the under-parts. 
Characters. — The white nail at the end of the bill distin- 
guishes this species, as well as the absence of any conspicuous 
white on the forehead, combined with the light grey of the 
