ORNITHOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS. 141 



Oeder CHENOMORPH^. 



Superfamily ANATOIDE^. 



Family AKATID^. 



57. Anser segetura iniddendorfE (Severz.)- 



1853. — Anser grandis Middend., Sibir. Roise., II, 2 (p. 225, tb. xx, fig. 1) (nee Gmel.). — 

 SCHRENCK, Reis. Amurl., I, p. 462 (I860).— Radde, Reis. Slid. Ost-Sibir., 

 II, (p. 3.54) (1863).— Dyijow. & Parvex, J. f . Om., 1868, p. 338.— Taczan., 

 J. f. Oru., 1873, p. 108.— /rf. ihid.,l87'i, p. 336.— M, ibid., lS7r^, p. 256.— AL, 

 Orn. Faim. Vost. Sibir., p. 67 (1877).— W., Bull. Soc. Zool. Prance, 1877, p. 

 42.— Id., ibid., 1883, p. 343. 



1873. — Anser middendorffi Sevehzow, Tnrkest. Jevotu. (pp. 70, 149). — Id., J. f. Orn., 

 1874, p. 435.— /fZ., Ibis, 1876, p. 416. 



1875. — Anser segelinn var. serrirostris Taczan., J. f. Orn., 1874, p. 333 {ncc Savixh.). 



1875.— .-Insfj- sef/etum SwiNii., Ibis, 1875, p. 456 {part).— Blakist. & Pryer, Ibis, 1878, 

 p. 212 {part)— lid., Tr. As. Soc. Jap., VIII,, 1880, p. 182 {paH).—A. seyilum. 

 Id., ibid., X, 1H82, p. 94 { paH).— BhAKiST., Cbrysauth., 1883, p. 27 {part).— 

 {segelum)Jd., Amend. List B. Jap., p. 8 {part). 



The state of things in regard to the species of geese of Eastern Asia 

 is iu a deplorable condition, and with my scanty material 1 can hardly 

 expect to solve the question. With all our doubts it is, however, most 

 fortunate that the geese have not suifered the common fate of difficult 

 birds of that region, viz, to be lumped together under one heading. If 

 that had been the case it would have been hopeless to try to unravel 

 the confusion. This confusion goes even so far that Taczanowski, who, in 

 1877, enumerates as No. 372 Anser grandis Pall., and as No. 371 ^w- 

 ser grandis IsiYDJ).., nee Pall. (!), still iu 1883 speaks of Anser grandis 

 MiDD., a form which already, ten years before, was called Anser midden- 

 dorffi by his countryman, Severzow. 



As already stated, my material is rather scanty, consisting of the 

 following specimens : Four birds from Europe, referable to A. segefum 

 and to A. segetum arreiisis. Three birds from Bering Island, which cer- 

 tainly belong to A. middendorffi { = grandis Midd,), as will be shown be- 

 low. One specimen from Slianghai, which I take to be a typical A. sege- 

 tum serrirosiris for reasons to be discussed further on. 



