264 THE GUN: AFIELD AND AFLOAT 



tember. Singularly enough, these autumn visitors make 

 way for the white-fronted geese ; their departure in the 

 last week in November is well timed, for this is just about 

 a week before the arrival of the other anserine claimants 

 of Lord Fitzhardinge's hospitality. In all probability 

 there is no spot in England where the grey geese are 

 more judiciously protected, or where the sport of shooting 

 them is more systematically conducted. Screens are 

 erected in the line of flight taken by the geese as they 

 pass to and from their feeding-ground and the water. 

 The gunners are concealed behind these " blinds," and 

 the geese are driven over them by the keepers. As the 

 ground is but seldom disturbed, heavy bags of geese are 

 occasionally made in this way. Owing to its rarity, 

 shooting such as this is held in high estimation ; it is not 

 surprising to learn therefore that records of this sport 

 have been kept at Berkeley Castle for more than fifty 

 years. 



Several writers have stated that the bean goose is 

 our commonest wild goose, but as this bird has fre- 

 quently been confounded with the pink-footed goose, 

 the statement needs to be received with caution. In 

 any case, so far as certain counties on the eastern side 

 of England are concerned, it is entirely misleading, for 

 there the bean goose is decidedly rare as compared with 

 its relative, the pink-footed goose. I have observed 

 also a marked difference in their choice of food ; the 

 bean goose, apparently, subsisting quite contentedly on 

 a diet of grass, which fact may account for the greater 

 numbers of this species met with in Ireland, whilst the 

 pink-footed goose is essentially a grain-feeder whenever 

 corn of any kind is obtainable. 



As illustrative of the good fortune which does occa- 



