BRENT GOOSE. 81 



shelter for approach ; or they ride, as it were, just 

 off the land, buoyant upon the wave, and occasion- 

 ally pluck the sea-grass or weeds which are yet 

 borne up within their reach. During the feeding- 

 time, or when resting, as we have last mentioned, 

 they are clamorous, and a flock is heard &i a con- 

 siderable distance from the regularity of the call of 

 all the members, which is simultaneously kept up. 

 They are also extremely wary, and we have never 

 been able to approach them openly ; and according 

 to the accounts of Hawker and other sportsmen, 

 shots are best obtained, either at night, by lying in 

 w^ait in the line of the flight, or by coasting in a 

 punt on a day when the wind is favourable, when 

 they may either be " run into" or watched for in the 

 range of flight. In Ireland this goose is also abun- 

 dant, and furnishes most of the night shooting, 

 which is much followed on various parts of the 

 coast* Edinburgh market is largely supplied from 

 thence. 



The geographic range of the Brent Goose is 

 northward ; we have it in Shetland, and in Northern 

 Europe, Iceland, Hudson's Bay, * Greenland, t and 

 Nova Zembla. J In some of those northern lati- 

 tudes it breeds, but we have no information of the 

 situation or structure of the nest : the eggs are de- 



oo 



scribed to be greyish white. In North America 



* Richardson. + Scoresby. 



Von Bauer. See a Translation of his " Animal Life v * in 

 that country, Annals of Nat. History. 

 Yarrell. 



F 



