A HAND -LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 129 



ANSER FINMARCHICUS* 



276. Anser finmarchicus Gunner. THE LESSER WHITE- 

 FRONTED GOOSE. 



ANSER FINMARCHICUS Gunner, Leeniii de Lappoii. Comm. notis, p. 264 

 (1767 Finmark). 



A. erythropus, Yarrell, iv, p. 263 (in text) ; Saunders, p. 400 (in text) ; 

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



DISTRIBUTION. England. Very rare vagrant. Young male Fen- 

 ham Flats (Northumberland) 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, pp. 269-75). One also said to have been taken near 

 York (Birds Tories., p. 413) and one in Humber District about 1874 

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

 Solway, 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. Winters 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 f } 



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. 265 ; Saunders, p. 401. 



DISTRIBUTION. British Isles. Winter-visitor. Widely but not 

 abundantly distributed, generally more frequent on west than east 

 ooasts 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. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 123, 1758 : " A. cinerea, fronte alba, Fn. Suec., 

 "92, Anser helsingicus Clusius. exot. 308. Habitat in Europa septentrionali ") 

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

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

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

 to employ it at all. E.H. 



f Latham's name, having two years priority, is now generally adopted. 

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



J Many authors separate two supposed species : Anser fabalis (= segetum 

 Gm.) and Anser arvensis, while others do not recognize them as different. 

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

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

 1902, p. 605), but until we have more thoroughly investigated the question 

 we can only admit one species. 



K 



