494 THE FOWLER IN IRELAND. 



I offer the following remarks, not as suggestions 

 but as facts, so that those interested may draw their 

 own conclusions. 



In the first place, I will allude to the needless 

 protection of Brent Geese, for to a fowler they are 

 of the greatest value, and to him may be said to 

 represent all their species, other Geese bearing a 

 very small proportion in his bag, as they rarely cross 

 his path. Brent Geese never breed with us and 

 require no protective law whatever; they are precious 

 well able to take care of themselves at all periods of 

 their existence when on the British coast. It is 

 not altogether the actual killing of these birds that 

 the fowler feels he is forbidden to no good end, but 

 also the fact that he is unable to earn an odd pound 

 by taking out gentlemen gunners in their pursuit. 

 This seems to him especially hard, though the 

 number of Brent killed by such visitors might be 

 very small. 



Late in the season Brent are, as a rule, diffi- 

 cult of approach ; but there they are in thousands, 

 each bird worth near a day's support to a poor man. 

 Why should he not have it in his power to obtain 

 them if he can, or even hire his belongings and 

 himself with that intention to others, who fancy 

 they can kill these birds, or wish for the sport of 

 following them, and are ready to spend their money 

 to the gunner's benefit with that object ? Brent 

 Geese remain in great numbers till the middle of 

 April, and even later, and it is an uncalled-for bit 

 of oppression to forbid shooters taking advantage 

 of them in March, as after a severe winter they 

 can now and then do. Brent Goose and Wigeon 



