202 
THE BERNACLE GOOSE. 
the unguis roundish, convex, striato-denticulate on the inner edge. Nasal 
groove elliptical, commencing at the base and extending to the middle of the 
bill, parallel to the ridge, filled by the soft membrane of the bill ; nostrils 
lateral, submedial, longitudinal, narrow-elliptical, open, pervious. Lower 
mandible straight, with the angle very long, rather wide, and rounded, the 
sides sloping rapidly upwards, the edges soft and obtuse, with about thirty- 
eight distinct lamellm on an inflected plane. 
Head small, oblong, compressed. Neck rather long and slender. Body 
full, slightly depressed. Feet short, stout, placed a little behind the centi’e 
of the body ; legs bare a little above the tibio-tarsal joint. Tarsus short, a 
little compressed, covered all round with angular reticulated scales, which 
are smaller behind. Hind toe extremely small, with a very narrow mem- 
brane ; third toe longest, fourth a little shorter, but longer than second ; all 
the toes reticulated above at the base, but with narrow transverse scutella 
towards the end ; the three anterior connected by a reticulated membrane, 
the outer with a thick margin, the inner with the margin extended into a 
two-lobed web. Claws small, arched, rather compressed, except that of the 
middle toe, which is bent obliquely outwards, depressed, with a curved edge. 
Wings of moderate length, with an obtuse protuberance at the flexure. 
Plumage close, rather short, compact above, blended on the head, neck, 
and lower parts of the body. The feathers of the head and neck very 
narrow, of the back very broad and abrupt, of the breast and belly broadly 
rounded. Wings when closed extending about an inch and a quarter beyond 
the tail, acute; primaries very strong, curved, the second longest; secondaries 
long, broad, rounded. Tail very short, rounded, of sixteen stiff rounded and 
acuminate feathers. 
Bill, feet, and claws black. Iris dark hazel. Anterior part of the head, 
including a broad space above the eye, the sides of the head, and the throat, 
white ; the feathers margining the bill, and a line from the bill to the eye, 
curving below the lower eyelid, and running along the upper, brownish- 
black. Neck all round glossy black, of which colour are the anterior or 
dorsal feathers, the scapulars, and the wing-coverts, towards their extremities, 
while their bases are ash-grey, and their terminal margins white. The 
shorter feathers on the jniddle of the back are similar ; those on the rump 
and the tail feathers deep black. The quills are greyish-black, darker 
towards the tips, the outer webs more or less tinged with ash-grey. The 
breast, sides, and abdomen greyish-white, the upper feathers of the sides 
with more grey ; the upper and lower tail-coverts, and the sides of the rump, 
pure white. 
Length 27 inches, extent of wings 4 feet 8 inches ; bill along the ridge 14, 
in depth at the base f|, in breadth T 9 2 ; tarsus 2If, middle toe and claw 2-]£ ; 
