° 1920 ] Swarth, Races of Branta canadensis. £1 1 



darker than those of the Sitkan district . . . ' points rather 

 conclusively to gradation through hybridism." His wording is 

 obscure, but let that pass. Then: "The literature dealing with 

 the distribution of the genus Branta fails to take into account the 

 region lying between Prince William Sound and Bering Sea. . . 

 A large part of this territory is ideal breeding ground and to the 

 present writer's personal knowledge, examples of Branta are found 

 there in considerable numbers during July, August and September, 

 although no specimens were taken. There are no land barriers 

 that would prohibit these birds crossing from Prince William 

 Sound to Cook Inlet and hence it is not unreasonable to expect 

 that minima and canadensis and Baird's so-called occidentalis inter- 

 breed and hence the 'variations' and specimens that intergrade 

 'inextricably'" (Figgins, 1. c, p. 98). 



"No specimens were taken!" Yet we are expected to accept as 

 proof of the existence of an extraordinary condition his statement 

 (which I will not deny) of the mere fact that geese are abundant 

 in certain parts of Alaska. It would require the collection of a 

 large series of skins, and the most careful analysis of their peculi- 

 arities and of the circumstances under which the birds were taken 

 to carry conviction of the truth of the statement that is made so 

 airily. " Hybridism" has been much used of late to explain things 

 that seem obscure. Mr. Figgins uses the term repeatedly. It 

 is an easy way to wave difficulties aside, but it is an exceedingly 

 difficult thing to prove. Of course on questioning the theory of 

 " hybridism " on a large scale we at once have the Flickers (Colaptcs) 

 pointed out in triumphant proof, but it may be said that even 

 among these variable woodpeckers there are a great many cases 

 of peculiarities, in color at least, that can not be explained by that 

 theory. 



"It appears to be established by several authorities that the 

 breeding range of the representatives of the genus Branta overlap, 

 and it is the present writer's belief that hutchinsi is a hybrid inter- 

 grade between cayiadensis and minima" (Figgins, 1. c, p. 101). 

 Here again Mr. Figgins' premise is wrong. There are very few 

 explicit statements of the subspecific character of geese found 

 breeding in the far north. Most observers followed the same 

 course as Mr. Figgins — they saw plenty of geese but " no specimens 

 were taken." 



