They leave us a fortnight sooner than the Canada Geese, and start along with the Snow Geese, but keep in separate flocks. In this order they have been observed travelling over the fur countries by Dr Richardson, who informs us that they breed in the woody districts skirting Mackenzie’s River to the north of the sixty-seventh parallel, and also on the islands of the Arctic Sea; but that they are not common about Hudson’s Bay. The egg of this Goose measures two inches and three-quarters in length, by one and three-quarters in breadth. The shell is smooth, of a dull yellowish-green, with indistinct patches of a darker tint of the same colour.
Anas albifrons, Gmel. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 509.—Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 842.
Anser albifrons, Ch. Bonaparte, Synopsis of Birds of the United States, p. 376.—Swains. and Richards. Fauna Bor. Amer. part ii. p. 456.
White-fronted or Laughing Goose, Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 346.
Adult Male. Plate CCLXXXVI. Fig. 1.
Bill shorter than the head, much higher than broad at the base, somewhat conical, depressed towards the end, rounded at the tip. Upper mandible with the dorsal line sloping, the ridge broad and flattened, but slightly convex, the sides sloping, the edges with twenty-eight oblique lamellæ, the unguis circular, convex, obscurely denticulate along the edge. Nasal groove oblong, parallel to the ridge, filled by the soft membrane of the bill; nostrils medial, lateral, longitudinal, narrow-elliptical, open, pervious. Lower mandible nearly straight, with the angle very long and rather narrow, the edges soft and obtuse, with about forty oblique, slightly recurved lamellæ.
Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed. Neck rather long and 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 narrow 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 27 1/4 inches, to end of wings 26, to end of claws 28 7/8; extent of wings 60; wing from flexure 14 1/2; tail 4 3/4; bill along the back 1 8/12, along the edge of lower mandible 1 7/12; tarsus 2 1/4; middle toe 2 4/12, its claw 5/12. Weight 5 1/4 lb.