190 THE BIE-DS OF OXFORDSHIRE. 



sixteenths ; tarsus^ two and seven-sixteenths of an inch. The 

 fact that the white on the forehead is broken^ and does not 

 extend to the eye by a quarter of an inch, may be accounted 

 for by the bird not having assumed adult phimage, the breast 

 being marked with a few dark spots only. 



THE BEAN GOOSE. \ 



Anser segetum. 



The Bean Goose is a winter visitor, but, from the Messrs. 

 Matthews^ observations, would appear to be less frequent 

 than the species next to be treated of, although from the 

 difficulty of distinguishing the two species on the wing it 

 cannot with certainty be determined to which the majority 

 of the Wild Geese occurring in the county belong. That 

 the Bean Goose has visited us is certain, from the fact that 

 the Rev. A. Matthews has often seen it brought into Oxford 

 Market, previous to his leaving Oxfordshire in 1854 {in lit.). 



For the guidance of such as may be fortunate enough to 

 examine any local specimens of Wild Geese, it may be well to 

 state that in the Grey Lag and White-fronted Geese the 

 'nail^ at the end of the beak is white, while in the Bean 

 and Pink-footed Geese it is black ; the last named is dis- 

 tinguished from the Bean Goose by its short beak, and 

 characteristically coloured feet, which in the latter species 

 are orange. 



A note in Mr. G. Jackson's copy of Bewick relates to 

 a Bean Goose shot by him on the 24th January, 1850, 

 when living at Greenlands, Henley-on-Thames. 



THE PINK-FOOTED GOOSE. 1^ 



Anser hrachijrhynchus. 



The Pink-footed Goose is a winter visitor, and it is believed 



by many ornithologists that to this species belong the majority 



of the flocks of Wild Geese which visit England in winter. 



As previously stated, the Messrs. Matthews considered that 



