184 THE WILD-FOWLKR. 



the sportsman may be sure of success. They present so large a 

 mark, that it is very easy to bring' them down when within range ; 

 and their flight, on first taking wing, is but a few feet above the 

 ground : they have not sufficient power of wing to ascend in any 

 other manner, but are obHged to proceed over some considerable 

 space before rising high in the air. 



I have sometimes found, after a heavy gale from the east, and 

 when snow and sleet have accompanied it, that among the thousands 

 of wild-fowl of numerous varieties which have been driven for 

 shelter to the inland waters, none of the birds would sit the punter 

 so well as the grey-geese ; and though large numbers of duck and 

 widgeon may have been sitting* near them, on the ooze, and taken 

 alarm before the fowler could approach, the grey-geese have uncon- 

 cernedly maintained their position and received the charge. 



A young grey g-oose makes a very delicious dish for the table ; 

 and the old birds are pretty good eating, but not at all to be com- 

 pared with Brent-geese. 



Grey-geese are often to be met with on the sea-coast by daylight ; 

 when they offer fair chances to the yachter who happens to be equipped 

 with a swivel-gun. But they always fly to the inland feeding haunts 

 at or before twilight, where they remain until next morning. In 

 some seasons they arrive in the western part of Scotland and in the 

 neighbourhood of the Cromarty Frith as early as August, and visit 

 the farmers' oat-fields in those parts, when, if not disturbed, they 

 sometimes remain there the greater part of the day, doing much 

 mischief to the crop. 



According to Ovid, tame-geese, which were probably a species of 

 the grey-lag, were sometimes kept as house-dogs by the ancient 

 cottagers.* 



* " Unicus anser erat minimse custodia villse." 



