Strix funerea and Anser erytliropus* 401 



as the one quoted. Unfortunately this plate does not exist 

 any longer, but it is known that a great number of Rudbeck's 

 plates were prepared during his journey to Lapland. It is 

 thus probable that he obtained the original for the now lost 

 Goose-plate at that time as well. If this supposition is 

 correct, it must have been a specimen of the Lesser White- 

 fronted Goose, because the larger species is not to be found 

 tliere. This is not satisfactory proof, I admit. Further 

 evidence, however, can be obtained by studying other Linnean 

 papers. One of these is his "Methodus Avium Sveti- 

 carum," which was first written in Upsala in 1731, and was 

 chiefly, or at least to great extent, based on Rudbeck's bird- 

 })lates. Subsequently Linnaeus carried this little manuscript 

 book with him in his pocket as a kind of ornithological 

 diary, and entered in it the notes on, or descriptions of, such 

 birds as he happened to obtain during his travels to various 

 parts of Sweden*. As species no. 63 in this "Methocius'" 

 we find Rudbeck's White-fronted Goose mentioned with 

 the short diagnosis which this author had written on his 

 plate, and which has been quoted above. At a later 

 opportunity, Linnaeus added, *' femina est in Helsingia 

 rostrum sordide carneum, frons albus, caput, collum, dorsum 

 et Cauda jarngra [a Swedish word, which means *' iron- 

 grey ^^], pectus et venter candidus, maculis ad finem sterni 

 nigrescentibus aspersis, pedes sanguinei.^^ This appears to 

 indicate that Linnaeus at some opportunity during his 

 travels in northern Sweden had a fresh female specimen 

 of a White-fronted Goose before him, and as only the Lesser 

 Wliite fronted Goose occurs there it must have been 

 such a one. It is also evident that it is just these notes 

 with few alterations which have been used for the " de- 

 scription" of species 92 of the 'Fauna Svecica,^ 1746. 



In the year 1751 Linnaeus lectured in Zoology at the 

 Royal University of Upsala. These lectures exist in 

 several manuscripts (one of which is about to be printed). 

 In these lectures Linnaeus says, " Anser erythropus, 



* This "Metliodus'' has been printed from the manuscript (1907, 

 Upsala). 



