A HISTORY OF CUMBERLAND 



variety of the mute swan is a matter of 

 opinion. It occasionally visits the Solway 

 Firth. Four Polish swans were shot upon 

 the waters of the Solway Firth in January, 

 1892, and of this number one was shot by 

 myself on the fiftenth of the month. It was 

 a male and weighed 1 8 Ib. 



Grey Lag Goose. The grey lag is seldom 

 present in any numbers upon our marshes ; 

 only once have birds of this species afforded 

 me sport when punt-gunning. On 21 De- 

 cember, 1900, when shooting with another 

 punt-gunner, I came across a gaggle of about 

 twenty birds, which having satisfied their 

 appetites upon the marsh were now resting 

 high and dry upon a mud bank. We had to 

 wait a considerable time for the tide to float 

 our punts near the geese, but before we could 

 approach within range the flood-tide reached 

 the fowl and drove them in a thin line before 

 our guns. My mate's gun missed fire. I 

 killed four birds, one of which was afterwards 

 preserved for the Carlisle Museum. These 

 grey lags had apparently no previous experi- 

 ence of powder and shot ; certainly they were 

 remarkably tame. Some few years earlier a 

 gaggle of six birds of the same species 

 appeared upon the Solway marshes. The 

 punt-gunner who first fell in with them had 

 an opportunity of killing all six, but his gun 

 happened to miss fire. He fell in with them 

 a second time and killed one of their number. 

 The other five remained in the vicinity about 

 a fortnight, but were quite unapproachable. 

 I tried to stalk them on several occasions, but 

 they had learnt wisdom by the misfortune of 

 their companion, and were not to be outwitted. 



White-fronted Goose. This species, like the 

 last, is an uncommon visitor to the Solway 

 Firth. Early in January, 1890, a gaggle of 

 nine grey geese arrived in our neighbourhood. 

 On the sixth of the month I observed these 

 birds alight upon the marsh, and managed, 

 after a good deal of exertion, to cross a stretch 

 of rough water and enter a narrow creek. I 

 waited in the punt until the tide lifted her 

 above the level of the marsh. Being then 

 within easy distance of the geese, I fired and 

 bagged nine white-fronted geese of various 

 ages. This was a red-letter day. I have 

 shot single birds on one or two occasions, but 

 have never killed any number except on the 

 occasion just referred to. 



Bean Goose. Hitherto the most plentiful 

 goose upon the marshes near Skinburness has 

 been the bean goose. This bird, though a 

 common winter visitor, affords but indifferent 

 sport to the wildfowler, who too often 

 experiences the bitter truth of the Cumbrian 

 adage, ' Thee's gone on a wild goose chase.' 



Bean geese are easily shot, however, if found 

 near the water. They are very partial to 

 the same certain patches of the marsh, and 

 may be found upon the same ground for 

 several successive winters. The old race of 

 wildfowlers used to say that it was useless to 

 go out shooting wild geese upon the marsh 

 before midnight. I am inclined to think that 

 they were not far wrong. These geese as a 

 rule fly inland at daybreak, returning to feed 

 upon the marshes during the night and early 

 morning. 



Pink-footed Goose. Large flocks of pink- 

 footed geese have latterly frequented Rock- 

 liffe Marsh, but this bird is curiously local in 

 its preferences. I have never shot any birds 

 of this species with my punt-gun, and have 

 only killed odd birds with the shoulder-gun. 

 A bird which I shot on 22 January, 1891, 

 only weighed 4 Ib. 14 oz., but another was 

 shot on Rockliffe Marsh which turned the 

 scales at 8^ Ib. 



Brent Goose. Small gaggles of brent geese 

 visit the foreshores of the Solway Firth, but I 

 can only recall a single occasion upon which 

 I met with a large flock of these birds. 



Barnacle Goose. The most abundant goose 

 upon the marshes of the Solway Firth is the 

 barnacle goose. Birds of this species usually 

 arrive in the neighbourhood of our estuaries 

 about the first week of October and remain 

 until the middle and sometimes the end of 

 April. When almost every other species of 

 wildfowl has left the Solway, either on 

 account of persecution or severe weather, the 

 barnacle goose is still present in sufficient 

 numbers to call forth the skill and defy the 

 craft of the wildfowler. I imagined for many 

 years that it was useless to attempt to shoot 

 barnacle geese from a punt in daylight. I 

 still find it a difficult feat, except when 

 performed under certain special conditions. 

 On 22 January, 1901, while waiting until 

 the tide should float my punt out of a 

 creek into which I had managed to get un- 

 observed, I saw a flock of 250 or 300 of 

 these geese fly off the marsh and settle upon a 

 mud bank near the spot where I lay con- 

 cealed. Presently they commenced to walk 

 in my direction. By the time that the tide 

 raised the punt above the level of the creek- 

 edge, the geese in the rear were passing 

 at too great a distance to admit of much 

 execution being done, but as it was a case of 

 taking this chance or none I fired and bagged 

 half a dozen birds. The best shot at these 

 birds which I ever enjoyed was obtained on 

 12 December, 1892. Starting between five 

 and six in the morning, in company with 

 another punt-gunner, we worked our way up 



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