THE SPECIES OF BEAN-GEESE. 599 



since, besides Melanonyx segetum, there are several other Bean-Geese in Europe 

 and to call one of them " European " seems not to have been a " happy thought " 

 after all. 



2. Ansee segetum, Gmel. (Bill. fig. 2). 



Mr. Oates, never having seen a skin of this species, knows it only from 

 Naumann's and Mr. Frohawk's descriptions. I regret that he has not paid more 

 attention to what I have said about it in my book, for, surely, he would have 

 found there some details that he could not have found in either of the above- 

 named authors' writings. 



3. Ansee beachyehynchus, Baillon (Bill. fig. 3). 



This common Goose in England seems to have been but very superficially 

 examined by Mr. Oates, for, as we shall see it latter on, speaking of the so- 

 called Melanonyx oatesi, the Author has apparently quite overlooked the most 

 important of its specific characters. 



On the other hand Mr. Oates does well in following my example, i.e., in 

 expelling this species from the list of Indian Birds. 



4. Ansee neglectus, Sushkin (Bill. fig. 4). 



Mr. Oates thinks that this Goose may frequent some parts of India in 

 winter, — once more an opinion that has been previously expressed in my book. 

 But it is true that his reasons for thinking so are widely different from mine, 

 as I did not, nor could know, that this Goose had been obtained by the late 

 H. Seebohm on the Yenissei river ; a fact of great interest by itself. My 

 conclusion about this Goose probably occurring in India during the winter 

 months was based on the fact of its having been found wintering in Persia by 

 Mr. N. Zarudny. 



5. Ansee middendoeffi, Severtz. (Bill. fig. 5). 



That this Goose has been met with in India is a very interesting fact, though 

 one that was easy to foresee. The extremely small weight of the specimen 

 mentioned by Mr. Oates, and its very small bill tend to show that it was a very 

 young bird. 



That SevertzofP s name " middendorffi, " is to be kept for this Goose, instead 

 of " sibiricus " as proposed by me, has been proved by Count Salvadori in the 

 " Ibis " of 1905, and I at once accepted this correction (" Ibis," 1906, April), 

 although, I here once more repeat, SevertzofP made the description of midden- 

 dorffi, after typical arvenses, and he also has made a complete set of blunders 

 respecting its geographical distribution. 



6. Ansee mentalis, Oates (Bill. fig. G). 



Mr. Oates expresses his doubts as to the Mandshurian specimen, quoted in 

 my book, belonging to his mentalis. But it is as true a mentalis as is the typical 

 specimen at the British Museum. That Stejneger's bird, obtained on Bering 

 Island, is likewise a true mentalis, has been pointed out to Mr. Frohawk by me 

 about four years ago, and (if I remember right, as I think I do *), Mr. Frohawk 



I am writing these Jines in the country, where I have neither my book on Geese with 

 me, nor my correspondence with Mr. Frohawk concerning the different Goose-questions. 



