Mr. A. Newton on the Anas erythropus of Linnaus. 405 



To this succeeds a description of the male, which I admit is 

 open to objection ; but the matter, in my opinion, is rendered 

 conclusive by the description of the female, which, in the edition 

 of the ' Fauna Suecica ' here referred to, and published fifteen 

 years previously (Lugd. Bat. 1746), is alone given. It is this : — 



" Rostrum sordide carneum, frons alba. Caput, collum, dor- 

 sum, Cauda cinerea ; pectus et abdomen Candida : maculae in 

 sterno nigrescentes. Pedes sanguinei." 



It is therefore plain that by Anas erythropus Linnreus did 

 not intend to designate the Berniclc Goose, but a bird known in 

 his time to the Swedes of Westro-Bothnia by the name of Fjsell- 

 gas — i. e. " Fell " or " Mountain Goose." It accordingly remains 

 to be seen what that species is. 



It appears by the note-books of the late Mr. John Wolley, 

 which are now in my possession, that in all his researches he 

 was able to find only two species of Wild Goose inhabiting the 

 extensive district in Lapland which he so carefully explored, 

 and of which part was comprehended in the ancient province of 

 Westro-Bothnia. These species are known to the Finns, who 

 form the great bulk of the population, respectively as the " Iso- 

 hanhi " and " Killio-hanhi," — the former signifying " Great 

 Goose," the latter " Mountain Goose." The Iso-hanhi he had 

 several opportunities of identifying as the well-known Bean 

 Goose {Anser segetum) ; the other he found, somewhat to his 

 surprise, to be, not, as he had been told by Swedish ornitho- 

 logists, the Bernicle Goose, but a bird of about that size, and at 

 the same time closely resembling, in plumage and other phy- 

 sical characters, the White-fronted Goose [Anser albifrons). 

 Not to extend the present remarks, I may state briefly that he 

 was not able to discover that the Bernicle Goose was known 

 to any of the inhabitants of the interior of the country, — a 

 statement which is singularly corroborated by Mr. Dann's note 

 communicated to Mr. Yarrell (B. B. iii. p. 73) in reference to 

 the last-named species : — " A skin of this Goose was shown 

 me by some Laps near Gillivara, who were ignorant of the 

 bird, never having seen it before. It was shot at Killingsu- 



thought advisable to reprint it in full, as containing an important rectifica- 

 tion in the nomenclature of European species. — Ed. 



