ZOOLOGICAL NOTES 253 



makes no allusion to its occurrence in "Clyde." In the "Notes on 

 the Birds of Glasgow and its Vicinity," by the same writer, in the 

 " Notes on the Fauna and Flora of the West of Scotland " (Glasgow, 

 1876), it is stated that "the Brent Goose is very scarce," while the 

 Barnacle Goose is declared to be " a regular winter visitant in large 

 flocks to the grass banks of the estuary between Dumbarton and 

 Helensburgh." In frequent excursions afloat and ashore in the 

 locality named by Gray I have failed to get to close quarters with 

 either species. However, Mr. David Gemmell, Mount Pleasant, 

 Port-Glasgow, informs me that he has in his possession " Brent 

 Geese shot on the Clyde opposite Port-Glasgow in the month of 

 February the month they are mostly seen. Bernicle are seen 

 there too, but not so common. I have one shot there too." From 

 the other side of the estuary Mr. W. A. Donnelly, Milton of 

 Colquhoun, sends me interesting details of the movements of Brent 

 Geese from the river in a N. by N.W. direction overland in spring; 

 the first flight observed this year being on yth February, numbering 

 70 birds, and a larger flight later in the same month consisting of 

 300 birds in three companies. The fly-line is invariably the one 

 just mentioned, and the flights noted in previous years were in 

 February, March, and once in April. In February 1895 Mr. 

 Donnelly saw a flock of 57 Barnacle Geese flying due west. "In 

 point of numbers, from my own observation," he says, "the Brent 

 seem to outnumber the Barnacle." In the paper " On the Birds of 

 Ayrshire and Wigtownshire," by Robert Gray and Thomas Anderson 

 ("Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasgow," vol. i. p. 269), the Brent Goose is 

 stated to be much less common than the Barnacle Goose "occur- 

 ring, perhaps, in the proportion of one to fifty." No precise state- 

 ment is made by the writers quoted of any occurrence of, or locality 

 frequented by, either species. Mr. Charles Berry of Lendalfoot, 

 South Ayrshire, informed me (/// lit, 3rd March 1895) that the day 

 after the great gale (2ist-22nd December 1894) he shot a Brent 

 Goose, and two days later he received for preservation a Barnacle 

 Goose " they are both rare here," he says. Information regarding 

 a great haunt of Brent Geese at Fairlie, North Ayrshire, first reached 

 me from my friend Mr. Hugh Boyd Watt, and I have frequently 

 seen them there in numbers since their occurrence was reported 

 to me. Thus in the present year I saw there on ist January a 

 flock of about 150, on 2oth February I estimated the numbers at 

 600, and on 6th March about 250 in a flock, the birds apparently 

 belonging to the white-breasted form. A Brent Goose was shot at 

 Lamlash during the winter of 1893-94, as I am informed by Dr. 

 Neil Fullarton. Mr. Ben Jordan, Campbeltown, has informed me 

 that Brent Geese and Barnacle Geese both occur in that locality, 

 but I have no information regarding their relative numbers. It 

 would be interesting to know upon what foundation the statements 



