ON THE BEAN-GEESE. 953 



that all these geese were A. serrirostris. Swinhoe may be thrust aside 

 as of no consequence whatever. Mr. Buturlin further states that 

 Hwinhoe's papers are duly recorded by Mr. Alpheraky. I have shewn 

 that the only really important paper of Swinhoe's has been omitted 

 from Mr. Alpheraky's references, and my statement can be verified by 

 any one who looks into the matter. 



The second species I propose to deal with is Anser oatesi. I com- 

 plained that Mr. Alpheraky had made no attempt to deal with it, but 

 had dismissed it without remark or comment. He assigned it very 

 doubtfully to A, neglectus, a species which there is no ground whatever 

 for believing ever occurs in China or even in any part of Eastern Asia, 

 and which, moreover, has a pink bill, whereas Mr. Bickett states that 

 A. oatesi, to the best of his recollection, has a yellow bill. Mr. 

 Alpheraky now states in his pamphlet that Mr. Hickett's description 

 of A. oatesi was so vague that he understood at once that something 

 was wrong with it, and he proceeds to quote just a few words of the 

 descriptions as if it were the whole description. Thus quoted, it 

 certainly may be considered very vague, but if my readers will turn to 

 my paper, they will find the description quoted in full and they will 

 hardly consider it unsatisfactory. It contains everything that is 

 essential in the description of a bean-goose. 



In my paper, I made a very brief remark about a second specimen 

 of this species in the British Museum. I gave the measurement of the 

 wing and the bill, and that was alL But this is enough to enable 

 Mr. Alpheraky to assert now with absolute certainty that A. oatesi is 

 nothing but A. segetum. 



I need hardly say that A. oatesi is a species which has been repeatedly 

 procured by Russian naturalists in its summer quarters in Siberia 

 and that it is well known to Messrs. Alpheraky and Buturlin as 

 A, serrirostris. The notes furnished by the latter gentleman, under the 

 heading of A. oatesi, in his communication to our Society, render this 

 point no longer doubtful. 



The third species I wish to refer to is A. mentalis. I complained in 

 my paper that Mr. Alpheraky quoted my description of this species, but, 

 in doing so, suppressed the most essential part of it, viz., the measure- 

 ment of the wing and the dimensions of the bill. In his pamphlet he 

 thus refers to my complaint : — " Mr. Oates further says that I hav) 

 not devoted a single lino to his original description of mentalis* 

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