BEAN-GOOSE. 493 



ANSER SEGETUM. 

 BEAN-GOOSE. 



(PLATE 58.) 



Anser sylvestris, Briss. Orn. vi. p. 265 (1760). 



Anas fabalis, Lath. Gen. Syn. Suppl. i. p. 297 (1787). 



Anas segetum, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 512 (1788) ; et auctorum plurimoruin 



Temminck, (Macyillivray), (Yarrell), (Di-esser), (Saunders), &c. 

 Anser segetum (Gmel.), Meyer, Taschenb. ii. p. 554 (1810). 

 Anser platyuros, I ^^ y~ g Deutschl pp . 337^ 839 (1831) 

 Anser arvensis, i 

 Anas paludosus, Strickl. Ann. Sf Mag. Nat. Hist, series 3, iii. p. 124, pi. 4. fig. 1 



(1859). 



The Bean-Goose is a common visitor to the British Islands on spring 

 and autumn migration, and great numbers remain to winter on our shores. 

 It is a well-known bird on most parts of the English, Scotch, and Irish 

 coasts, but is said only to be a straggler to the Orkney and Shetland 

 Islands, though abundant in the Hebrides. There seems to be no evidence 

 that it has ever bred in any part of the British Islands. 



The Bean- Goose is a more northerly species than the Grey-lag Goose. 

 It is an accidental visitor to Iceland, and in Scandinavia is not known to 

 breed south of lat. 64. In North Russia it breeds near Archangel, and 

 in the valley of the Petchora above the limits of forest-growth. More 

 than one traveller has obtained it on Nova Zembla. In the valley of the 

 Yenesay it breeds above the limit of forest-growth on the Arctic tundras 

 and on the mountains round Lake Baikal. In Eastern Siberia it breeds 

 on the Stanavoi Mountains, and on the tundras as far north as land 

 extends. In winter it migrates in enormous numbers to Southern 

 Europe, where it frequents both shores of the Mediterranean (except 

 that it has not occurred in North-east Africa) ; and it is extremely abun- 

 dant at that season in South Russia, the basin of the Caspian, and 

 North-east Turkestan. In mild seasons it winters on the coasts of Den- 

 mark, France, and Spain, and has been known to occur as far south as 

 Madeira. To the east it migrates through Mongolia and the valley of the 

 Amoor, to winter in Japan and China, but is not known to have occurred 

 in India. 



East-Siberian birds are, as a rule, larger than western examples, and may 

 be regarded as subspecifically distinct under the name of Anser segetum 



