520 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



northern Asia. I have in my possession an egg of this Swan, 

 which was collected by Seebohm on the Lower Jenesei in lat. 70| N. 

 The only example ever killed here is preserved in my collection ; 

 it is an old bird which was shot on the 17th of March 1875. 



Goose Anser. This genus is numerously distributed almost 

 from Pole to Pole, and in nearly all latitudes of the Northern 

 Hemisphere. Eight or nine of the species are European, and with 

 only one exception viz. A. ruficollis also visit Heligoland, though, 

 for the most part, as mere passing callers on migration. 



314. Grey Lag Goose [GRAUGANS]. 

 ANSER CINEREUS, Meyer. 



Heligolandish : Groot Grii Guss = Great Grey Goose. 



Anser cinereus. Naumann, xi. 229. 



Grey Lag Goose. Dresser, vi. 355. 



Oie cendree. Temminck, Manuel, ii. 818, iv. 517. 



It is impossible to determine how often this species may occur 

 among the numerous flocks of Geese passing over this island 

 during the double migration. It is, however, only shot in solitary 

 instances. Grey wild Geese in general rarely alight on the island ; 

 and even when they do so, are not easily got at for want of cover. 

 I possess a very large, and probably very old, example of this 

 species, which has a row of small perfectly white feathers at the 

 base of the upper mandible. 



The Grey Lag Goose breeds in the Hebrides, in Scotland, Ger- 

 many, Scandinavia, Finland ; eastward it ranges to China ; and on 

 the north upward along the coast of Norway to 70 N. latitude. 



315. Bean Goose [SAATGANS]. 

 ANSER SEGETUM, Bechstein. 1 



Heligolandish : Grii Guss = Grey Goose. 



Anser segetum. Naumann, xi. 302. 



Bean Goose. Dresser, vi. 363. 



Oie vulgaire. Temminck, Manuel, ii. 820, iv. 517. 



Most of the wild Geese which are shot here belong to this 

 species ; we may therefore assume that the majority which touch 

 upon Heligoland belong to it. 



1 Anser ser/etum (Gmel.)- 



