CEREOPSIS NOVÆ-HOLLANDIÆ, Lath.
Cereopsis Goose.
Cereopsis Novce-Hollandice, Lath. Ind. Om. Supp., p. lxvi.—Temm. M an., tom. ii. p. cvii.—lb . PI. Col., 206.—Benn.
in Gard, and Menag. o f Zool. Soc., Birds, p. 3 1 5—Ja rd . and Selb. 111. Om., vol. iv. pi. xxxiii.—
G. R. Gray, L is t o f Gen. o f B irds, 2nd edit., p. 93.—L ist o f B irds in Brit. Mus. Coll., p a r t iii. p. 126.
B H —Less. Man, d’O rn., tom. ii. p. 413.—Ib. T ra ité d 'Om ., p . 627. pi. 109. fig. 2.
New Holland Cereopsis, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 325. pi. 138*.—Ib. Gen. Hist., vol. ix. p. 432. pi. clxii.—
Steph. Cont. o f Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xii. p . 67. pi. 44.
Cereopsis cinereus, Vieill. Gal. des Ois., tom. ii. pi. 284.—Ib . Nouv. Diet. d’H ist. Na t., tom. v. p. 516.—Ib. Ency.
M éth.,’toim iii. p. 1045.
Anser gris eus, Vieill. 2nde edit, du Nouv. Diet. d’H ist. Na t., tom. xxiii. p . 338.—Ib. Ency. Méth., tom. i. p. 351.
pi. 236. fig. 1.
Cereopsis Australis, Swains., Anim. in Menag., p. 219. fig. 32.
Cape Barren Goose o f the Colonists.
T h i s is one of the Australian birds which particularly attracted the notice of the earlier voyagers to that
country, by nearly every one o f whom it is mentioned as being very plentiful on all the islands in Bass’s
Straits, and so tame that it might be easily knocked down with sticks or even captured by hand; during my
sojourn in the country I visited most o f the localities above-mentioned, and found that so far from its being
still numerous, it is almost extirpated; a few, however, still inhabit the smaller islands in Bass’s Straits, and
I killed a pair on Isabella Island, one o f a small group near Flinders’ Island, on the 12th of January 1839. I
believe that it may be still abundant on some o f the unexplored parts of the south eoast o f Australia, but in
the colonised districts, where it has been much molested, it has now become so scarce that it is very rarely
seen. It passes the greater portion of its time among the grass, and rarely takes to the water. It appears
to be strictly a vegetable feeder, and to subsist principally upon grasses in the neighbourhood of the coast;
consequently its flesh is excellent, and all who have tasted it agree in extolling its delicacy and flavour. It
bears confinement remarkably well, but is by no means a desirable addition to the farm-yard; for it is so
pugnacious, that it not only drives all other birds before it, but readily attacks pigs, dogs, or any other
animal that may approach, and often inflicts severe wounds with its hard and sharp bill.
Its voice is a deep, short, hoarse, clanging and disagreeable sound. It readily breeds in confinement.
The eggs are creamy white, about three inches and a quarter in length by two inches and a quarter in
breadth.
The sexes are precisely alike in plumage.
Crown of the head whitish, the remainder of the plumage brownish g rey; the wing-coverts and scapularies
with a spot of brownish black near the t ip ; the feathers o f the back margined with pale brownish grey ; the
apical half o f the primaries, the tips of the secondaries, the tail and the under tail-coverts blackish brown ;
bill black ; cere lemon-yellow; irides vermilion; eyelash dark brown; legs reddish orange; toes, webs,
claws and a streak up the front of the legs black.
The figure is rather more than half the natural size.