66 
The Birds of Pembrokeshire. 
flocks of Brent Geese. It has also occurred at Orielton, near 
Milford Haven, as we are informed by Col. Saurin. A freshly 
shot specimen was washed ashore near St. David’s, at the begin- 
ning of December, 1893, as we learn from Mr. Mortimer Propert. 
MUTE SWAN, Cygnus olor.—tIntroduced. The chief station in the 
county of these beautiful birds is at Stackpole Court, where a 
number frequent the romantic lake in the park in what may be 
considered a wild state. The lake winds about in a serpentine 
shape, its banks, at places, bordered by finely timbered woods, 
and at one part, on the side towards the sea, by a warren. 
At its extremity towards the sea a narrow range of sandhills 
separates it from the shore. The Swans come and go as they 
like, and are most numerous during the summer, when there 
are nearly a hundred on the lake, many pairs being engaged in 
nesting. In the autumn, when the weeds die down beyond their 
reach, and the water is high, most of the Swans disappear, and 
in the middle of winter, not more than eight or ten will be found 
remaining. A few of the birds visit the Milford Haven creeks, 
and one is occasionally shot on the neighbouring marshes, but 
the majority evidently leave the county altogether, and probably 
migrate far to the south. The few Mute Swans that occasionally 
appear on the estuary of Taw and Torridge, in North Devon, 
may be stragglers from the Stackpole flock. The Swans all 
return again to their Pembrokeshire home in the spring. Lord 
Cawdor informed us that he never introduced any fresh blood, 
and that the number of Swans varied with the abundance of the 
American weed, that, after twenty-five years, had begun to 
diminish, and had almost died out in some parts of the water. 
WHOOPER, Cygnus mustcus.— A rare, occasional winter visitor ; not 
many on record. One, in the collection of the late Mr. John 
Stokes, at Cuffern, was shot many years ago at Pantyphillip, some 
three miles inland to the south of Fishguard. One at Stack- 
pole frequented the lake there for some time, until it was shot 
by Lord Cawdor, with his rifle, from the bridge crossing the lake. 
