206 
BRENT GOOSE. 
the outer with a thick margin, the inner with the margin extended into a 
two-lobed web. Claws small, arched, rather depressed, especially that of the 
middle toe, which has the inner margin expanded. 
Plumage close, rather short, compact above, blended on the head, neck, 
and lower parts of the body. The feathers of the head and neck small and 
oblong, of the back very broad and abruptly rounded, of the breast and belly 
broadly rounded. Wings, when closed, extending a little beyond the end of 
the tail; primaries very strong, decurved, the first longest, the second almost 
equal ; secondaries long, broad, rounded. Tail very short, rounded, of 
sixteen feathers. 
Bill and feet black. Iris hazel. Head and neck all round black, glossed 
with blue. A small streak under the eye, and a spot on the chin, white ; on 
each side of the neck a patch of the same formed by a number of the feathers 
which have a white band near the end. The general colour of the upper 
parts is brownish-grey, the feathers terminally margined with light greyish- 
brown ; the quills, and primary coverts greyish-black, the primaries darker ; 
the upper tail-coverts white, the tail greyish-black. The fore part of the 
breast is light brownish-grey, the feathers terminally margined with greyish- 
white ; the grey tint gradually fades into white, which is the colour of the 
abdomen, sides of the rump and lower tail-coverts ; the sides of the body 
grey, the feathers broadly tipped with white ; axillar feathers and lower 
wing-coverts grey. 
Length to end of tail 24 4 inches, to end of claws 254 ; extent of wings 48 , 
bill along the ridge 1 /g, along the edge of lower mandible 1 T 4 2 ; wing from 
flexure 13 ; tail 44 ; tarsus 1\ ; hind toe T 3 ^, its claw ; middle toe 1 T V, its 
claw ,4|. W eight lbs. 
Adult Female. 
The female, which is somewhat smaller, is similar to the male. 
Length to end of tail 23 inches, to end of wings 21, to end of claws 231 ; 
extent of wings 444. Weight 2i lbs. 
An adult female procured by Dr. Thomas M. Brewer, of Boston. 
The roof of the mouth is concave, with a median row of short papillae, 
two lateral series of flattened laminae, and some irregularly scattered 
intermediate prominences, the lower mandible more concave. The tongue 
is fleshy, with the base papillate, the sides parallel and furnished with 
recurved papillm, the tip rounded and thin, the entire length 1 inch 5 
twelfths. The oesophagus, a, which is 13 inches long, is exceedingly 
slender, its diameter when contracted not being greater than that of the 
windpipe, or about 4 twelfths, but it is capable of being dilated to 6 twelfths ; 
its inner coat thrown into prominent longitudinal rugae. The proventriculus, 
a b, is enlarged to the breadth of 11 twelfths, its glandules simple, cylindrical 
