506 BRITISH BIRDS. 



The White-fronted Goose is a winter visitor to the British Islands, but 

 is somewhat local in its distribution and erratic in its appearance. It 

 only occurs sparingly on the east coast of Scotland and visits the Shetlands 

 at long intervals ; whilst the same remarks apply to the west coast of 

 Scotland, with the exception of Islay, where it is said to be very common. 

 It is sparingly distributed on the Welsh and English coasts, but some- 

 times appears in large flocks. It is also a regular winter visitor to Ireland, 

 where it appears to be commoner than in any other part of the United 

 Kingdom. 



The White-fronted Goose is a circumpolar bird, breeding in the Arctic 

 Region of both hemispheres, and returning southwards to winter. It breeds 

 in Greenland, Iceland, the northern portions of Scandinavia and Russia, 

 and thence across Siberia to Behriug Straits, and through Alaska across 

 Arctic America. It passes along the coasts of Western Europe on migra- 

 tion, to winter on the coasts of the British Islands aud France, occasionally 

 straying as far south as Gibraltar, Italy, and Transylvania. It also migrates 

 down the great river-valleys of Russia and Siberia to winter in Greece, 

 South Russia, Asia Minor, North-east Africa, and the southern shores of 

 the Caspian. It passes through Turkestan on migration and winters in 

 North-west India. The East-Siberian birds winter in China and Japan. 

 On the American continent it winters in the United States as far south 

 as the Gulf of Mexico ; but is most common in the central and western 

 districts, being comparatively rare on the Atlantic coasts. 



The notes of the White-fronted Goose are somewhat similar to those of 

 the Grey Goose, but are more trumpet-like in tone and more rapidly 

 repeated, so that it has sometimes been called the Laughing Goose. In 

 other respects the habits of the White-fronted, Bean-, and Grey Geese are 

 so similar that the description of one might almost pass for that of the 

 others. 



The White-fronted Goose breeds at a higher latitude than its congener 

 the Bean-Goose, and still more so than its much closer ally the Grey 

 Goose. At our winter-quarters on the Arctic circle, in the valley of the 

 Yenesay, flocks of Bean-Geese had been seen almost constantly passing 

 northwards for three weeks before the flocks of White-fronted Geese began 

 to arrive ; and Middendorff" found it breeding in great abundance on the 

 Taimur peninsula, between lat. 70° and 74°, where the Bean-Goose had 

 become comparatively rare. He describes the nest as built on a grassy 

 hillock, a mere hollow on the summit abundantly lined with down. Dall 

 found it breeding in great numbers on the banks of the river Yukon in 

 Alaska, and also describes the nests as mere depressions in the sand ; but 

 further east MacFarlanc found that at the mouth of the Anderson River 

 most of the nests Avere substantially lined with dry grass and feathers as 

 well as with down. Five to seven appears to be the usual number of eggs^ 



