The Birds of the Midland Lakes and Bogs. 265 



The Grey IvAG Goose is reported by Mr. Young to be 

 "sometimes seen in Queen's Co. in winter," and by I^ord 

 Castletown to be "very rare." Mr. Digby states that in 

 King's Co. there are " a few in the winter." He has shot 

 them. Mr. Kinahan says that it is an occasional visitor to the 

 callows of the Little Brosna in Co. Tipperary. 



The White-fronted Goose is stated by Colonel Malone 

 to be the commonest goose which occurs on I^ough Iron. 

 Flocks are to be seen in the adjacent pasture-fields in winter, 

 and in 1891 they remained well into May. Maxwell, the 

 gamekeeper at Knockdrin, told me that on the 26th April, 

 1892, the latest date he saw geese, a flock flew over in V for- 

 mation, out of which he counted thirty-five without exhaust- 

 ing them. In eastern Gal way, Sir Henry Bellew states that 

 this species is nearly as common as the Bean Goose. Mr. 

 Digby informs me that in King's Co. it is common from Octo- 

 ber to April. When visiting Killeenmore Bog, on 30th April, 

 1892, I saw two flocks of White-fronted Geese, comprising 

 twenty-four birds in all. On the 6th May Mr. Digby wrote 

 to me that they had gone. In Queen's Co., Mr. Young states 

 that it is a regular winter visitor. In Tipperary, Mr. Purefoy 

 says it is an occasional visitor in winter. 



The Bean Goose is a winter visitor to Sligo (Col. ffoUiott). 

 In eastern Galwaj^, Sir H. Bellew considers it to be the com- 

 monest goose. On the 7th February, 1893, one was shot out 

 of a flock of about sixty near M9unt Bellew. One shot in 

 Co. lyongford is preserved in Currygrane. In King's Co. 

 Mr. Digby considers it fairly common, and in Queen's Co. 

 Mr. Young says it is a regular winter visitor. 



The BARNACI.E Goose is, according to Sir H. Bellew, a 

 common visitor to his part of Galway, as well as the Bean and 

 White-fronted, and that there is no mistaking the sharp line 

 of demarcation between the neck and the very white breast. 



The Whooper Swan is a winter visitor to I<ough Arrow, 

 often in large numbers (Col. ffolliott). In Longford Mr. 

 Wilson states it is not numerous, but is seen occasionally. 

 In King's Co. Mr. Digby has only once seen a flock passing 

 over, and in Queen's Co. Lord Castletown considers it very 

 rare, while Mr. Purefoy states that it is an occasional visitant 

 in winter to Tipperary. 



(It must be difficult to determine the species, as between 



