A HAND-LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 129 



ANSER FINMARCHIC US* H'RV^H'RoTUS^ 



276. Anser -fifiHiarchiciis Ounnor .— THE LESSER WHITE- 

 FRONTED GOOSE. 



Anser finmarchicus Gunner, Leemii de Lappon. Comm. notis, p. 2G4 

 (1767 — Finmark). 



A. erytJtropus, Yarrell, iv, p. 2()3 (in text) ; Saunders, p. 400 (in text) ; 

 id., Brit. B., i, p. 14. 



Distribution. — England. — Very rare vagrant. Young male Fen- 

 ham Flats (Xorthumberland) Sept. 16, 1886 (A. Chapman; Field, 

 Dec. 11, 1886, p. 87 : Saunders, p. 400). Adult female. Wash (Nor- 

 folk), Jan. 24, 1900 (F. Coburn, ZooL, 1901, p. 317 ; J. H. Gurney, 

 Ibis, 1902, P23. 269-75). One also said to have been taken near 

 York {Birds Yorks., p. 413) and one in Humber District about 1874 

 (J. Cordeaux, Birds Humber District, p. 22), and some possibly on 

 Sohvay, Jan., 1894 (H. S. Gladstone, Birds Dumfries., p. 243)^, but 

 the histories of these specimens are not above reproach. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds in tundras of Siberia, westward 

 to Kanin and Lapland. AVinters in Japan, China and (in small 

 numbers) in India, Mongolia, and probably in Turkestan, straying 

 in small numbers to central, south, and west Europe. 



ANSER FABALIS t J 



277. Anser fabalis fabalis (Lath.)— THE BEAN-GOOSE. 



Anas Fabalis Latham, Gen. Syn., Suppl.. i, p. 297 (1787 — Great Britain). 

 Anser segetum (Gmelin), Yarrell, iv, p. 2(35 ; Samiders, p. 401. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Winter-visitor. Widely but not 

 abundantly distributed, generally more frequent on west than east 

 coasts Great Britain. Only one authentic example O. Hebrides 

 (S. Uist, March, 1903), very rare extreme north Scottish mainland, 

 occurrence in Orkneys and Shetlands not proved. In Ireland very 



* It is impossible to say whether Anser erythropus (L.) [Anas erythropus 

 Linnaeus, Syst. Xat., ed. x, i, p. 123, 1758 : "A. cinerea, fronte alba, Fn. Suee., 

 92, Anser helsingiciis Clasius. exot. 3G8. Habitat in Em-opa septentrionali ") 

 refers to this goose or A. alhifrons Scopoli. It might be restricted to the 

 •commoner .4. albifrons, but why it has been accepted for the Lesser White- 

 fronted Goose is incomprehensible. Lender the circumstances it is best not 

 to employ it at all. — E.H. 



t Latham's name, having two years priority, is now generally adopted. 

 (See Cat. B. Brit. Mus., xxvii, etc.). — E.H. 



t Many authors separate two supposed species : Anser fabalis { = segetum 

 <jm.) and Ayiser arvensis, while others do not recognize them as different. 

 If they are two species, both would occur in Great Britain, and ^Ir. F. W. 

 Frohawk has gone so far as to affirm that .4. arvensis is the usual form (Field, 

 1902, p. G05), but imtil we have more thoroughly investigated the question 

 -we can only admit one species. 



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