shoots. I have never seen this Goose upon the coast „in
winter; but, as before stated, it is reported to breed in great
numbers on the Norwegian coast.
Professor Nilsson says the Bean Goose, is the most common
species in Sweden, and is also spread over Finland,
breeding upon the islands, and committing great ravagé upon
the green corn. Mr. Hewitson, says the Bean Goose was
rather numerous upon one of the large islands on the west
coast of Norway, near the Arctic circle, where it had been
breeding during the previous month. This species is said to
visit the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland. It breeds
also in great numbers at Nova Zembla.
M. Temminck says the Bean Goose is abundant in Holland,
Germany, and France, but is more rare in the central
portions of Europe. It is found also in Spain, Provence,
and Italy. M. Vieillot mentions that one of the names of
this bird in France is, Harvest Goose, Oie d&s moissons, from
.its frequenting corn-fields, and the destructive effects of large
flocks when feeding upon green corn. Gur name of; Bean
Goose is said to have reference to the dark nail on the beak,
which in appearance is considered to resemble a horse-bean ;
Mr. Selby thinks the name has been suggested by the' decided
partiality of the bird to pulse and grain.
The bill is two inches and one quarter in length, nearly '#
lonn as the head ; rather slender towards the end and point-
ed; the nail, edges, and basé, black, the middle portion
orange ; irides dark brown ; the head and neck brown, tinged
with grey; back and scapulars darker brown,''slightly tinged
with grey, each feather margined with greyish white ; wing-
coverts, secondaries, and tertials, greyish-brown,' edged and
tipped with white ; primaries dark brown tinged with grey ;
rump dark brown; upper tail-coverts white ^tail-feathers
dark brown, broadly edged with greyish whiter; neck in front,
breast, and belly, dirty white ; abdomen, vent, and under
tail-coverts, pure white ; legs, toes, and membranes, orange ;
the claws black.
The whole length of an adult male thirty-four inches.
From the carpal joint to the end of the wing nearly nineteen
inches ; the second quill-feather the longest in the wing ; the
wings when closed reaching considerably beyond the end of
the ta il; point of the wing with a prominent callous knob
hidden by the plumage.
Young birds of the year darker in the general colour of
their plumage, and the markings less distinct, but with a
tinge of orange colour about the neck.
Wild geese, when on the wing together for any distance,
are frequently observed to assume some particular figure. If
there are only three or four birds, they mostly fly in a
straight line one after the other; when more numerous they
assume a wedge-shaped form like the letter placed horizontally,
the angle in advance. The interval between the
. side line# sometimes occupied. Practice seems to have taught
them that angular forms diminish atmospheric resistance.