probably paler when in life
*
Plate I, Bernicla leucoloema
(unopened; 90º ccw; some annotations etc removed; detail)
illustrating Andrew Murray (1812-1878 *). "Contributions to the Natural History of the Hudson's Bay Territories. Aves.—Part I." (Wednesday, 26 January 1859; Numerous Specimens were exhibited)
Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society of Edinburgh II (1859-1862) : 45-56
Harvard copy, digitized April 5, 2007
Michigan copy at archive.org : opens to article and to plate
Bernicla leucoloema (Murray)
Beak black;
head and greatest part of the neck black;
chin and throat white, the white extending upwards and backwards beyond the ear coverts, and also extending downwards along the under side of the neck almost to the end of the black portion, but tapering away and becoming narrower and somewhat interspersed with black feathers as it extends downwards;
the under eyelid broadly white;
the white on the cheeks, &c, without black flecks;
the black on the fore part of the head and behind the white space flecked with white ;
the back and the wing coverts, the secondaries and tertials light brown, with lighter coloured edges to the feathers;
primaries dark brown;
tail feathers black;
the rump black;
upper tail coverts white;
lower part of the neck pale dirty lavender;
upper part of breast still paler;
lower part and belly almost white, except a broad pale lavender-coloured band across the middle, just before the tops of the thighs, or, perhaps, I should rather express it as breast and belly pale lavender coloured, with a broad white band across the breast;
vent and under tail coverts white;
legs and first phalanges pale brown, probably paler when in life;
remainder of the phalanges and interdigital membranes bright yellow, sparingly spotted here and there with black or brown.
Length, 40 inches.
51
Moby Dick came up, last night.
tags:
birds; feathers; horizon
Andrew Murray