334 BRITISH BIRDS. 



SUPPOSED FORMER ABUNDANCE OF THE 

 GLOSSY IBIS 



In connexion with the note in last month's British Birds 

 (23. 307) on the above subject by Mr. Gurney, the following 

 may be of interest : — 



On SejDtember 13th, 1906, I was following otter-hounds 

 at Wangford in Suffolk, and while hounds w^ere drawing a 

 piece of marshy swamjD, four of these birds were seen. They 

 rose and flew round, coming quite close over members of 

 the Field, several times. At the time I was standing near 

 an old yokel, and I turned to him and asked him what he 

 called them, and A\dthout a moment's hesitation he replied : 

 " Well, we used to call 'em black curloo," and he Avent on 

 to tell me that he " minded " a time when they were common. 

 The next day I happened to be at a place on the Aldeburgh 

 river, about twenty-one miles from Wangford, and I was 

 informed that somewhere about a fortnight before a couple 

 of these birds had been shot out of a flock of six ; in all j)yo- 

 bability the same lot as I saw at Wangford. This old man's 

 remark about the name seems to go to prove that the idea 

 of the local name of " black curlew " is not so unlikely as 

 Mr. Gurney suggests. E. Eraser Stanford. 



MOVEMENTS OF BRENT GEESE ON THE COAST OF 

 NORTHUMBERLAND. 



The following notes on the movements of Brent Geese {Bernida 

 hrenta) during the recent cold weather on the south-east coast 

 of Northumberland may be of some interest, as so little appears 

 to be recorded concerning the movements of Geese : — 



Jan. 23rd, 1912. Very fine. Wind N.E. up to 3 p.m., 

 then heavy gale from east with much rain and sleet. Culler- 

 coats, 3.15 p.m. Gale increasing. Flock of twelve — fifteen 

 Brent passing north, close to shore. 3.30. Gale subsided, 

 rain continuing. 



Feb. 2nd. St. Mary's Island. Last night extremely cold 

 Avith much snow. 2 a.m. Wind N.E. increasing to gale. 

 Severe blizzard at daylight. 9.45 a.m. Flock of twelve 

 Brent passed north, battling hard against the wind, and a\ ent 

 over the island. H. V. Charlton shot one, an adult male 

 of the light-breasted form {B. b. glaucogastra) . 10.15 a.m. 

 Another flock of ten-twelve flying in exact track of former. 

 Both skeins flew some six yards from the surface of the water, 

 but on passing over the island they rose to height of forty-five 

 feet. They followed the trend of the coast-line, as much as 

 possible, making no direct course. ]\Iy brother procured an 



