Westmoreland or any other part of England; and subsequent
investigation has shown that Selby was wrong in his identification,
and that, as already stated, the Grey Lag Goose is
the only species which has ever been proved to breed in Scotland
or its islands. The Bean Goose generally visits us
from August onwards, and a good many frequent our coasts
throughout the winter, a return migration being observable
early in the spring. In some seasons, and in certain
localities, it is more abundant than its close ally, the Pinkfooted
Goose; hut the balance of evidence, so far as the
Editor has been able to sift it, appears to be in favour of
the general numerical superiority of the latter. This is the
case on the eastern side of England; also, according to Mr.
F. S. Mitchell, in Lancashire; hut in Cornwall, the late
Mr. Rodd has stated that nine-tenths of the flocks of Wild
Geese which visit the south-west in hard weather are Bean
Geese. In the eastern districts of Scotland the Bean Goose
appears to be the predominant species ; but to Orkney and
Shetland it is only an occasional straggler. In the Outer
Hebrides, according to Mr. R. Gray, it is a common winter
visitant, remaining on the outlying rocks and islets, especially
in the neighbourhood of Harris, as late as the beginning of
June.
In Ireland Sir R. Payne-Gallwey says that “ it is by far the
commonest species, and may be seen in enormous ‘ gaggles’
for six months of every year. It is essentially an inland
feeder, on bogs and meadows; but will fly to the mud-banks
and slob of the tide at dusk, to pass the night. These
Geese frequent every bog and marsh in Ireland which afford
food and security from molestation. They are always found
inland in large numbers, save in frost, when they fly down
to the meadows and soft green reclaimed lands that lie near
the tide. A small proportion will, in the wildest weather,
frequent the mud-banks to feed and rest. They usually quit
their inland haunts at dusk ; disliking to remain on land
by night, where dogs, men, or cattle may disturb them, and
accordingly fly to the estuaries to rest and feed. At first
dawn they again wing inland, and pass the day in open,
unapproachable ground. They are very abundant in Tipperary,
Limerick, Cork, and the midland counties, where
they find their food to perfection.”
It is difficult to define with accuracy the range of this
species in Europe and Asia, owing to the doubt which so
often exists as to the correctness of the identification by
the recorders. It visits Iceland; breeds in considerable
numbers in Norway and Sweden, mostly beyond 64° N. lat.;
and also in North Russia, where Messrs. Seebolim and Harvie-
Brown found it nesting on the ‘ tundras ’ of the Yenesei.
At Dvoinik, on 27tli of July, the former observed a migratory
flock of several hundred old Geese and about as many young,
marching like a regiment of soldiers, most of them being in
full moult and unable to fly, so that eleven adults and
five goslings were secured. Capt. A. H. Markham, R.N.,
brought back specimens from Novaya Zemlya, where he
found this species very abundant in July and August,
especially in the Matyushin Shar and on the east coast.
Its breeding range extends across northern Siberia to
Amurland and in winter flocks visit Japan and China,
although this species has not yet been identified in India.
It occurs in winter in Asia Minor, Palestine, North Africa,
and, in varying proportions, throughout the basin of the
Mediterranean. Westward it has been known to go to
Madeira, and over the Continent of Europe it is generally
distributed on passage and in winter. In Picardy it is
said to be the most numerous species, and Vieillot mentions
that one of the names of this bird throughout
France is Oie des moissons, or Harvest Goose, from its
frequenting corn-fields.
The breeding-habits of the Bean-Gcose do not differ
materially from those of its congeners : an egg brought from
Norway, and given to the Author by the late Mr. Hewitson,
* The names of Anser grandis, A. middendorffi, A. serrirostris, have been
Conferred on forms of doubtful specific distinctness. Examples from Northeastern
Asia and China have very large bills, and some males in Mr. Seebohm s
collection show a tawny colour on the head and neck, like that in A. cygnoides,
which is found in the same regions.