THE WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. 
211 
slender. Body full, slightly depressed. Feet rather short, strong, placed 
rather behind the centre of the body : legs bare a little above the joint ; 
tarsus rather short, a little compressed, covered all round with angular 
reticulated scales, which are smaller behind ; hind toe very small, with a 
marrow membrane ; third toe longest, fourth considerably 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 having a thick margin, the inner with 
the margin extended into a two-lobed web ; claws small, arched, rather 
compressed, obtuse, that of the middle toe bent obliquely outwards and 
depressed, with a curved edge. 
Plumage close, full, compact above, blended on the neck and lower part of 
the body, very short on the head. Feathers of the head and neck very 
narrow, on the latter part disposed in oblique series separated by grooves, 
of the back very broad and abrupt, of the breast and belly broadly rounded. 
Wings rather long, broad ; primaries incurved, broad, towards the end 
tapering, the second longest, first and third about equal, first and second 
sinuate on the inner web, second and third on the outer ; secondaries long, 
very broad, rounded. Tail very short, rounded, of sixteen broad rounded 
feathers. 
Bill carmine-red, the unguis of both mandibles white. Edges of eyelids 
dull orange ; iris hazel. Feet orange, webs lighter ; claws white. Head and 
neck rich greyish-brown, the upper part of the former darker ; a white band, 
margined behind with blackish-brown on the anterior part of the forehead 
along the bill. The general colour of the back is deep grey, the feathers of 
its fore part broadly tipped with greyish-brown, the rest with greyish-white ; 
the hind part of the back pure deep grey. Wings greyish-brown, but 
towards the edge ash-grey, as are the primary coverts, and outer webs of the 
primaries; the rest of the primaries and the secondaries are greyish-black, 
the latter with a narrow edge of greyish-white, the former edged and tipped 
with white. Breast, abdomen, lower tail-coverts, sides of the rump and 
upper tail-coverts, white, but the breast and sides patched with brownish- 
black ; on the latter intermixed with greyish-brown feathers. 
Length to end of tail 27i inches, to end of wings 26, to end of claws 28f ; 
extent of wings 60 ; wing from flexure 141 ; tail 41 ; bill along the back 
1 T V> along the edge of lower mandible l r V ; tarsus 2J ; middle toe 2 T 4 5 , its 
claw tV Weight lbs. 
Adult Female. 
The female, which is somewhat smaller, resembles the male ; the white 
margins of the wing-feathers not so distinct. Weight 4 lbs. 4 oz. 
The gizzard is very large, its muscular coat an inch and a half thick at the 
