83 
CASSIN’S SNOW GOOSE. 
(CHEN ALBATUS.) 
Admitted to the B.O.U. List. 
There is certainly something to be cleared up in the 
question of the Snow Geese. 
Saunders says (Yarrell’s Birds, 4th edition, page 277) 
“the smaller to which the name ‘Hyperboreus’ properly 
belongs, and of which ‘Albatus,’ Cassin, is a pure 
synonym.” 
But the Bulletin of the U. S. Museum, 1881, gives 
‘Hyperboreus’ as the sole specific name of ‘The Snow 
Goose,’ No. 591, ‘Chen Hyperboreus’ the Snow Goose. 
The Lesser Snow Goose has two specific names 
‘Hyperboreus Albatus,’ it is named after Cassin; it is No. 
5gia. 
Admitted by Saunders, 
who gives its name ‘ Chen Hyperboreus,’ he says “ 7¢ zs 
clear that the race obtained in the British Islands ts the 
smaller one.” 
Admitted by Seebohm, 
under the name ‘ Anser Hyperboreus.’ 
It will be seen that both these learned authorities 
are at variance with the American Ornithologists, who 
give this title to the larger form. 
Mr. Seebohm, who has earned the thanks of every 
one interested in the subject, if only for giving the useful 
list of synonyms with their authorities, ofices that 
‘Albatus’ is reserved for the Lesser Snow Goose, and 
‘Hyperboreus’ for the Snow Goose, by Coues. 
In size the Lesser Snow Goose is rather less than 
the Snow Goose. It is at the present moment living in 
6A 
