950 . 



ON THE BEAN-GEESE. 

 By 



Eugene W. Oates. 



In a recent number of this Journal I published a brief article on the 

 known species of bean-geese, and I brought to notice some conclusions 

 on these birds which had been arrived at by Mr. Alpheraky in his 

 work on the Geese of Europe and Asia. 



My remarks have called forth a considerable amount of discussion. 

 First, Mr. Alpheraky wrote a pamphlet which was printed for private 

 circulation and which has been reprinted in our Journal. He subse- 

 quently wrote to the Field (December 29th, 1906). Mr. Buturlin, 

 another Russian naturalist, wrote to the Field (November 17th, 

 1906), and then again to the Editors of our Journal. I felt con- 

 strained to reply to Mr. Buturlin's communication to the Field in the 

 same paper, although it seemed, to me that an English newspaper was 

 not the proper vehicle for the discussion of a paper which originally 

 appeared in an Indian Journal of Natural History. Lastly, Mr. Stuart 

 Baker has written a note on the same subject in the Journal of this 

 Society. 



I do not know how much longer these gentlemen intend to write 

 and discuss these geese, but it appears to me that the time has arrived 

 when I may make some remarks which, on my part, I intend to be 

 final. 



I made serious allegations against Mr. Alpheraky with regard to his 

 treatment of three species of bean-geese found in Eastern Asia. I also 

 made complaint of sundry minor matters, which being more or less 

 matters of opinion, I do not now propose to notice further. 



The first species I shall deal with is A. serrirostris. Mr. Alpheraky 

 figures the bill of th ; s goose of a yellow colour and asserts that the bill 

 is always described as yellow or orange. Swinhoe, who described this 

 speeies for the first time, says that the colour is pinkish-red. There is 

 no getting away from 'this description, nor is there room for any insin- 

 uation that Swinhoe was mistaken about this simple character. He 

 distinctly states {This, 1867, p. 392) that two birds had the bill of this 

 colour. 



Mr. Alpheraky, in his pamphlet, says : " Oontrarily to Mr. Oates's 

 statement, this goose is not only known from Swinhoe's description, 



