Red-breasted Goose



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RED-BREASTED GOOSE


Branta ruficollis


The London Zoo has recently received from the Moscow Zoo some

specimens of this Goose. It is very interesting as specimens are rarely

seen in this country, though they have been known to come here as

stragglers.


This bird is one of the most beautiful coloured birds in existence,

its pigmentation is black with white local patches, rump, sides, and

belly ; the ear-coverts, foreneck and chest are chestnut, outlined by

white, and the two wing-bands are grey. The sexes are similar,

though the female is a little smaller than the male. It has a hoarse

croaking voice. The colour of the egg is creamy white, with obscure

traces of an underlying green shell, the surface is rather smooth and

not glossy, and the shell is fragile. It appears to be a late breeder. Its

habitat is West Siberia.


This bird has been known to visit every country of Europe except

Spain. Also it has been portrayed in the paintings of Egypt.



ORNAMENTAL PHEASANT SOCIETY NOTES


As a direct result of having our journal translated into the French

language and distributed in France and Belgium, we have enrolled over

sixty new members. We consider our action has been fully justified by

such a satisfactory increase in our membership. We have now some 400

members, and we can truthfully say that almost every country in the

world is represented. We have found that our members abroad take

a great deal more interest in our activities than our British associates ;

this, while being hard to understand, is nevertheless in many ways

satisfactory. I think perhaps the reason for this apparent lack of interest

lies in the fact that these members are kept in close contact with our

doings through the reading of Cage Birds week by week. This may be

denied to our members in other countries, especially those who do not

speak the English language. The keeping of ornamental Pheasants is

spreading rapidly in Scotland, and perhaps this is partly due to the



