176 CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. 



mark the spot where you would either find the bird 

 dead, or else you would be able to polish it off by 

 giving it another shot. Many and many a bird has 

 John saved for me in this way. 



You must pardon this digression on my part, 

 reader, for I feel it would not be justice to introduce 

 you to the White- Fronted Goose without first of all 

 giving you an introduction to my old friend John. 



In the year mentioned I arrived at Waterville, I 

 think, somewhere about the end of October, and 

 although my principal object was Snipe and Wood- 

 cock shooting, I had set my heart on obtaining, if 

 possible, some additions to my collection in the 

 shape of Wild-Geese ; so John was instructed to 

 inform me of their arrival on the bogs as soon as 

 they were in evidence — since when they first come in 

 they usually will let you approach them more easily 

 than after they have been in a week or two. As 

 far as my memory serves me, John reported them 

 on the boes about the beoinnino- of November ; so 

 then, without any delay, I made my first attempt. 



There was a large flock of them on an open bog 

 a few miles away from the hotel, but owing to the 

 very openness of the country all round and the 

 absence of anything like cover by which I might 

 possibly get within gunshot I was obliged to resort 

 to the old Indian style of stalking, which is by 

 walking round and round in a circle and keeping on 

 narrowing the radius of it till within range. This I 

 tried, but found in the case of these birds that, 

 although they could not be said to be wild, they 



