I 9 o ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



BOOK NOTICES. 



THE GEESE OF EUROPE AND ASIA : BEING THE DESCRIPTION 



OF MOST OF THESE INHABITING THE OLD WORLD. By Sergius 



Alpheraky. With 24 coloured plates by F. W. Frohawk, and a 

 frontispiece by Dr. P. P. Sushkin. (London : Rowland Ward, 



Ltd., 1905-) 



There are few groups of old-world birds about whose habits 

 and stages of plumage so little is known as the Geese. That this 

 should be so is in a great measure, perhaps entirely, due to the fact 

 that they are by nature wary beyond all others, and seek resorts far 

 removed from the haunts of man. On these accounts they are not 

 only extremely difficult to observe, but satisfactory material for the 

 study of their plumages accompanied by reliable data as to the age of 

 the specimens is well-nigh impossible to procure. It is this question 

 of age, and the peculiarities of dress associated therewith, that has 

 hitherto rendered our knowledge of particular phases in the plumage 

 of the Geese more or less imperfect. 



The book under notice does not pretend to entirely supply 

 these desiderata for its author, with admirable candour, tells us that 

 he cannot consider his work otherwise than as preparatory to further 

 investigation. It must be regarded, however, as an important and 

 welcome contribution to ornithological literature : one that con- 

 siderably advances our knowledge through the investigations of its 

 author, and forms a most excellent basis for future research. It 

 affords much information not to be found elsewhere on the various 

 phases of plumage of the species treated, from the chick to the 

 adult, on their habits, nesting, migrations, and geographical dis- 

 tribution. Practically all the literature relating to the subject has 

 been laid under contribution, and much has been culled from 

 Russian sources which are tapped for the first time so far as the 

 British reader is concerned. 



The British aspect of the subject has received much attention ; 

 and it is interesting to know that the great majority of the Bean 

 Geese visiting our Islands belong to the Yellow-billed species the 

 Anser arvensis of Brehm and thus a new species is added to the 

 British avifauna, though the author suggests that it may be the bird 

 to which Strickland gave the name of Anser pahidosus. The 

 remarks, however, on all the British species, and especially those on 

 the Grey Geese, are well worthy of attention. 



In all, 21 species and subspecies are treated of in the most 

 thorough manner in this handsome volume; and of these no less than 

 twelve have a place in the British fauna. All are figured in a 

 series of twenty-four excellent coloured plates, of which three are 

 most usefully devoted to life-sized figures of the bills of each 



