132 A HAND-LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



winters in great numbers on Caspian Sea, in steppes of Transcaspia 

 and parts of Persia, passing through south Russia, the Khirgiz 

 steppes, and parts of Turkestan, casually in France, Italy, Holland, 

 Germany, Galicia, Hungary, and even at least in ancient times 

 in Egypt. 



BRANTA LEUCOPSIS 



282. Branta leucopsis (Bechst.) THE BARNACLE-GOOSE. 



ANAS LEUCOPSIS Bechstein, Orn. Taschenb., n, p. 424 (1803 Germany). 

 Bernicla leucopsis (Bechstein), Yarrell, iv, p. 286 ; Saunders, p. 409. 



DISTRIBUTION. British Isles. Winter-visitor. Most numerous 

 O. and some I. Hebrides, and Solway, where, however, becoming 

 scarcer. Formerly conimon, now rare, parts of Wales and Cheshire, 

 but more numerous generally on west side Great Britain than east, 

 where very rare, as on south coast and inland. In northern Scotland 

 rare, but fairly regular visitor Orkneys and well-known passage- 

 migrant (not wintering) Shetlands. In Ireland regular winter- 

 visitor to coasts and islands Connaught and co. Donegal, and 

 in small numbers to Dundalk Bay (Louth), very rare southern 

 half. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Breeds Spitsbergen and north-east 

 Greenland, possibly also Kolguev(P), Novaya Zemlia, and north- 

 west Siberia. On migration and in winter from Iceland to 

 shores of Baltic and North Sea, occasionally inland, exceptionally 

 south to Italy, Spain, Marocco, Azores, casually in North 

 America. 



BRANTA BERNICLA 



283. Branta bernicla bernicla (L.) THE BRENT GOOSE. 



ANAS BERNICLA Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p 124 (1758 "Habitat 



in Europa boreali ; migrat supra Sueciam "). 



Bernicla brenta (Pallas), Yarrell, iv, p. 290; Saunders, p. 411. 



DISTRIBUTION. British Isles. Winter- visitor. Most numerous and 

 regular east coast Scotland, east and south coast England, and all 

 coasts Ireland, where, however, scarcer on south coast. On w T est 

 coasts Great Britain generally scarce and somewhat irregular, as 

 in western isles Scotland, but common parts of Orkneys, and in 

 Shetlands chiefly known as passage-migrant. Very rare inland. 



DISTRIBUTION. Abroad. Breeds on Franz- Josef Land, Spitsbergen, 

 Kolguev, and Novaya Zemlia (not on mainland of European Russia), 

 on Yenisei, and even further east ; replaced by allied races in east 

 and west North America. In winter in vast numbers on shores 

 of Baltic and especially North Sea. Casually inland, sometimes 

 south to Mediterranean and even north Africa. 



