14 Geese of Europe and Asia 



into greyish ; their coverts and winglet light ashen grey. Under side of wing and axillaries 

 greyish white. Rump, upper and lower tail-coverts, and whole under side of body, pure 

 white ; breast and tail white with greyish tint. On head, usually a rusty tinge, thickest on 

 the fore part. Bill and feet dark grey or brownish, often with greenish or olive tint. Black 

 stripes along edges of mandibles as in adult birds. 



The young birds take not less than four years to gain the adult plumage (although 

 it is stated that this sometimes occupies a still longer period), the birds gradually whitening 

 with each moult. 



In regard to the young in down there is a lack of information. 



I therefore pass on to discuss the question as to what species or what form of snow- 

 goose — whether the Anser hyperboreus of Pallas, or the larger Chen nivalis of Forster — 

 occurs in North-Eastern Europe, especially Russia. To decide this is at present not only 

 difficult but impossible, since apparently not a single specimen of snow-goose killed in 

 Russia exists in any museum. 



Consequently there is no possibility of deciding this question, and one is compelled, 

 nolens volens, to content oneself with conjectures and conclusions, which may be proved 

 erroneous by the first specimens which come into the hands of naturalists. From the 

 statement that in Japan both forms occur, i.e. the lesser and greater {Chen hyperboreus 

 and nivalis), the conclusion might be drawn that both are met with also in Eastern 

 Europe, but the very occurrence of both these geese in Japan must, for the present, be 

 accepted with caution. 



The sole specimen from Yokohama (killed March 5, 1882), preserved in the Zoological 

 Museum at St. Petersburg, belongs to Chen hyperboreus. 



Total length 28.50 in. ( = 725 mm.) 



Wing 167 in. ( = 425 mm.) 



Culmen 1.96 in. (= 50 mm.) 



Tarsus 2.55 in. ( = 65 mm.) 



Further, it must be borne in mind that the specific distinctness of these two geese 

 is apparently still far from being finally settled. For instance, such a well-known sports- 

 man as Mr. Leffingwell, 1 in his article on geese {Shooting on Upland, Marsh, and Stream, 

 Chicago, 1890, p. 314), writes that the great and small snow-geese gradually pass into each 

 other by an uninterrupted series of forms which are very confusing; in other words, it 

 is often difficult to know to which of these forms to refer specimens. The surmise, 

 expressed by Mr. Buturlin, that it is Chen nivalis, and not С hyperboreus, which occurs in 

 Russia, is founded only on the apparently greater size of specimens noted by the few 

 sportsmen who have chanced to see snow-geese in Russia, and consequently is based 

 chiefly on probability. 



Even this apparent probability, in my opinion, is considerably shaken by the 

 following considerations. 



It must, firstly, be remembered that all white birds 2 seen during flight appear larger 

 than birds of the same size but of a dark colour. 



Further, although Chen nivalis* is considerably bigger than Chen hyperboreus, this 



1 Author of several works on the water-fowl of North America. 



2 And in general all white objects in Nature. 



3 This we shall see farther on, when I give the dimensions and certain data on this form. 



