NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 99 



4, A. albifrons (Gmel.), with a white nail, dark gray carpal 

 feathers, and orange legs. 



5. A. erythrojAis (Linn.), much reseraWing the last, but much 

 smaller (about the size of Anas hoscJras) and perhaps redder 

 orange legs. The synonj^ms of this bird are: A. fnmarchicus, 

 Gunnerus, A. temminckii, Eoie, A. minutus, Naumann, and, as I 

 now see by Malmgren, A. brevirostris, Fritsch ; but this last I 

 have not myself certified. 



jVo. 1. A.ferus is undoubtedly the species from which our tarae 

 geese have sprung. It formerly bred in England, and now breeds 

 in Scotland, where it is, I am satisjied, the only species that does 

 so. (Cf. Ibis. 1865, p. 441 ; 1869, p. 21.) It also breeds in Iceland. 

 (Ibis. 1864, p. 1.32.) The Scandinavian naturalists have said it 

 breeds on the coast of Norway, if not in Sweden also ; but they 

 have only just begun to know A. hrachyrhynchus^ and I suspect 

 most if not all of the geese breeding on the Norwegian coast be- 

 long to that species. It seems, however, to bi'eed in certain parts 

 of Central Europe, and undoubtedly^ in Turkey (Simpson), 

 and also Spain (Saunders). Its occurrence in England is now 

 rare. 



No. 2. A. segetiim, with which I also unite A. intermedins and 

 probably A. arvensis of Naumann, comes to England as a regular 

 winter visitor, but is not so common as the next species ; the A. 

 segetum of Naumann (Naumannia, 1853) is I believe A. hracliy- 

 rhynchus. I only k7ioio of Lapland as a breeding place of this 

 species. The A. paludosus of A. Strickland (his A. seyetum being 

 also A. hrachyrhynclius) is no doubt identical, but proof is 

 wanting that it ever bred in this country. 



No. 3. A. brachyrhynchus is the commonest winter goose in 

 England, arriving often in August. It breeds in Iceland (Ibis. 1864, 

 p. 132), Spitzbergen (Malmgren and Newton), north Norway 

 (Ibis. 1869, p. 226), and I suspect all the way down the Norwegian 

 coast to Trondhjem. Besides the synonym A. phoenicopus, Bart- 

 lett, I believe it to be A. segetum of Naumann and A. Strickland. 



No. 4. A. albifrons breeds in Iceland (A. N.), l)ut I do not 

 know where else — certainly not in northern Scandinavia. In IIol- 

 land they have breeding A. pallidipes^ De Selys, which I take to 

 be ix, feral race of this bird, or perhaps a cross between it and A. 

 ferus (cinereus) ; but it is doubtful to me how far it can be called 

 wild tliere. It has the very white front of albifrons, but is larger 



isn.] 



