94 THE BIRDS OF CUMBERLAND. 



numbers of the Barnacles which visit the Enghsh 

 side of the Sol way have largely increased of late 

 years. Mr. A. Smith informs us, that, whereas 

 twenty years ago their largest flocks at Rockliffe 

 numbered from two hundred to four hundred birds, 

 they now consist of from six hundred to a thousand 

 birds. Barnacle Geese appear to arrive upon the 

 Solway by two routes. The first passes down the 

 west coast of Scotland or the outer Hebrides. The 

 second route, followed by birds which have passed 

 down the west coast of Norway from the Arctic 

 Circle, and then crossed the North Sea, appears to 

 coincide with the valleys of the Tweed, the Lyne, 

 and Liddell. In 1885, a flock of a hundred mi- 

 grating Barnacles passed over Stanwix, Carlisle, on 

 April 2nd, flying north-west, wind westerly. Pro- 

 bably the greater number of our Barnacles perform 

 their journey via the west coast of Scotland, but a 

 certain number also fly across the sixty miles of 

 land between the Solway and our east coast. Mr. 

 Smith has seen flocks of Barnacles, evidently tired 

 birds, arrive on Rockliffe marsh, flying from east, or 

 a point or two north of east, to the Solway. 



It is always difficult to enlist the services of 

 inland observers in the study of wild fowl, be- 

 cause they are generally ignorant of their identity ; 

 but at our request, Mr. A. Smith kindly cross- 

 examined G. Gartner, who had often told him that, 

 when working near Bewcastle, he had observed 

 Barnacle Geese, as well as Grey Geese, flying from 

 east to west. Gartner, being a native of Rockliffe, 

 and a man of intelligence, was well qualified to 



