by Mr. Mewburn. <c When first seen, it was in a field
adjoining the cliffs, at Port Wrinkle, a small fishing place,
about four miles from St. Germain’s, near "which it remained
for two or three days. Being several times disturbed by
attempts to shoot it, it came more inland, to a low situated
farm, called Pool, and there associated with the common
geese; but was wild, and immediately took.wing upon being
approached. Here it kept to and fro for a day or two, but
being much disturbed, left, and came down upon the shore
of the St. Germain’s river, or estuary, when the following
day, the 20th of June 1821, it was shot by John Bricliford
in a wheat field at Sconnor, about a mile from St* Germain’s.
When killed, it was in the mostvperfect state, having only
one shoti in - the head. t Some gentlemen who sawvit the following
day, requested him to let me have it, which he promised
; but though he knew I was a bird stufferj he had a
wife, who, from some strange infatuation, thoughkshe could
stuff i t ; but being soon convinced of her inability, she cut
off the wings for dusters, and threw the skin away; and it
was not till three weeks afterwards that I heard-of thh circumstance,.
when I sent a servant, who .brought; it covered with
mud, the head tom off, but luckily preserved, as also. one
wing, when I had it washed, and put it together as wolPas
I was able. The skin, in this state, was obligingly forwarded
to Newcastle by Mr. Mewburn, for Mr. Bewick’s use,
from whence it passed into Mr. R. Wingate’s hands, who lias
most ably reset it, and thus preserved one of, the m # t uncommon
ornithological rarities ever .known in England.” ;
The bad management of • the ; skin- in the first instance'
explains Mr. Couch’s remark on this bird in his Cornish
Fauna ; namely, (i one specimen only is on record, and that
was mutilated when ascertained.”
Mr. Bewick V description of the specimen at Newcastle is
as follows:— a The ;b'ill iS'JFeddish^yillow, with a jointed
protuberance on the base of the upper mandible. The Upper
part of; the head and neck are dingy brown; the auriculars
and sides of the .throat are white, spotted with brown; the
lower: part of the neck, sides of the breast, and all the upper
plumage ■ appear black, but this colour is lóst, particularly
in the scapulars and tertials, which are most rèspleridently
bronzed and . glossed with brilliant green, and most /of the
.outer webs, óf the other feathers partake of thé same h u e ; on
the betd of the wing, or wrist, is placed a strong white homy
spur, about- five-eighths of an inch in length, turning upwards,
and rather inwards ; the whole of the edges of the wing from
the aJufa Spuria, to.the elbow and shoulder are white, all the
under parts the same. This beautiful bird is nearly of the
bulk of the Wild Goose, but its legs and toes are somewhat
longer, and of a red or orange yellow.”
To give, thé' actual appearance of the British killed specimen
our figure is taken from Mffie BewickVwork.
This spéèies is a native-of northern and western Africa,
but its habits are unknown.
A male specimen died lately in the gardens of the Zoological
Society, after living there in confinement nearly twelve
years. Advantage was taken of-this opportunityfto examine
the organ of voice, generally found to possess some remarkable
variety in form and structure throughout most of the species
of this exteri'sive family; and the expectation was fully realised.
By permission of the council of the Zoological Society, I am
enabled to publish following description and figures.
The windpipe of the Spur-winged Goose is about sixteen
inches long, the ■' tube* flattened throughout the greater part
of its length, but cylindrical at the bottom. The vignette
over leaf represents thé lower portion of the windpipe in three
points of view. figure on the right hand shows the
tube with its bony enlargement on the left side, being its
position in the body of the b ird ; the other figures are added