136 THE BIRDS OF DORSET. 



seen on our coast. One was shot at Moreton in the 

 winter of 1885. Mr. Harting writes : "The fact is, 

 the Grey-lag is rarely found on the coast anywhere, 

 for, unlike the Brent, the Barnacle, and perhaps the 

 White-fronted Goose, it prefers keeping inland, where 

 it feeds on the green wheat by day where the country 

 is very open, and in the flooded water-meadows at 

 night. On the wing, Grey-lags may always be known 

 from the other species above mentioned by their 

 flying in a figure generally a V or a Y ; the others 

 fly en masse." 



WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. Anser albifrons, (Scopoli). 



Yarrell, iv. p. 261 ; Harting, p. 60 ; Dresser, vi. p. 375 ; Seebohm, 

 iii. p. 505 ; Ibis List, p. 1 1 6 ; Anas albif rons, Pulteney's 

 List, p. 20. 



Somewhat commoner than the Grey-lag in winter, 

 but never plentiful. Like the last-named, it has 

 a flesh-coloured bill with white nail, but may be 

 distinguished by its orange-coloured legs and feet. 

 Pulteney, who notices one shot near Gussage in 

 1795, says (p. 20): "Among the great variety of 

 water-fowl shot on the mud-banks of Poole harbour, 

 this is sometimes brought by fishermen up into the 

 country for sale, but it is not at any time plentiful." 

 I have notes of its occurrence at Kimmeridge in the 

 winter of 1849; at Weymouth the same year, and 

 again at Weymouth in February 1855 (W. Thompson), 

 Mr. Pike writes : " All the Grey Geese which I have 

 examined at Poole (very few in number) have been of 



