THE ZOOLOGIST 



No. 740.— February, 1903. 



BRITISH BEAN-GEESE. 



By F. W. Frohawk. 



(Plate II.) 



In his article on Anser paludosus (Zool. 1902, p. 441), Mr. 

 Coburn disagrees with my statements published in the ' Field ' * 

 on the Bean-Geese (Anser arvensis and A. segetum), illustrated 

 with the figures of the bills of these birds, which I now reproduce 

 with the kind permission of the proprietor of that journal. 



Before alluding to Mr. Coburn's remarks, I may briefly state 

 my reasons for arriving at the conclusions I still maintain regard- 

 ing the specific differences of these Geese. More than a year 

 ago Mr. Serge Alpheraky, the distinguished Russian zoologist, 

 honoured me with his express desire to illustrate in colour his 

 great work on the 'Geese of Russia,' which necessitated not only 

 voluminous correspondence passing between us on this group of 

 birds, but the most careful examination of all specimens pro- 

 curable, the result being that our notes agreed on all points of 

 interest we found it necessary to comment upon. The enormous 

 mass of material, amounting to all the available works published 

 on the Geese, and the great number of specimens Mr. Alpheraky 

 has examined, enable him to speak authoritatively on the sub- 

 ject, and the Bean-Geese received his most critical attention. I 

 may say that his views on these birds agree precisely with my 



* October 4th, 1902, p. 605, 

 Zool. 4th aer. vol. VII., February, 1903. E 



