ON BEAN-GEESE. 607 



work above named, only two do not breed in the Russian Empire, and 

 only nine do breed in Europe or Asia outside of Russian limits. 



Mr. Alpheraky's ''Geese of Europe or Asia" is till now the only work 

 that gives means to discriminate, without a large library, between all 

 species and subspecies of Old World Geese. For instance, though 

 differences between such sharply distinct species as A. segeium and A: 

 arvensis were justly pointed out more than half a century ago by the 

 greatest ornithologist of all lands, Naumann, — these birds were nearly 

 always confounded together, especially in England. Mr. Gates himself 

 (1899, "A Manual of the Game Birds of India," II, p. 74-75) treats 

 them both under one name " A.fabalis." And only Mr. Alpherakyj 

 after fifty years of confusion, rediscovered their distinctness. Mr. Fro- 

 hawk's papers on these birds, mentioned, by Mr. Oates, are confessedly 

 only results of Mr. Alpheraky's investigations i cf " The Field," 1902, 

 NO.-2597J. 



Wesbnbbrg, Esthonia, Russia, 

 16th August 1906. 



