BRENT GEESE. 193 



affection, that they will come no further south than is actually 

 necessitated by their food requirements, being driven reluc- 

 tantly southward, point by point, before the advancing line of 

 the winter's ice. But in severe winters the congealing element 

 carries stronghold after stronghold against them, and, as 

 their last resources in the Baltic and in Denmark are closed 

 up, they come here. 



Though a small number of these Geese (fours and sixes) 

 may generally be seen here about the end of October, and 

 their numbers slightly increase as the winter advances, yet, 

 as already stated, the great bulk do not arrive till after 

 Christmas, and during January their numbers are being 

 constantly reinforced by arrivals of " strangers," till their 

 maximum numbers are reached, usually in February. In 

 that month in severe seasons their numbers are often almost 

 incredible. The " strangers " referred to are easily dis- 

 tinguishable on first arrival by their ignorance of local 

 geography. It is often amusing to watch a big flight of 

 them about daybreak, hungrily seeking the entrance to the 

 harbour after their long journey. Each bird appears to 

 have his own idea of the way in, to judge by the clamorous 

 chorus they keep up ; yet, after tacking off and on for half 

 an hour, the whole pack will sometimes return to sea rather 

 than trust themselves to fly over dry land, or into an ambush. 



The following are the approximate dates of arrival of these- 

 Geese on the N.E. coast during ten years : 



1877. Middle of January. 



1878. Early days of January ; immense numbers in 

 February. 



1879. Second week in January. 



1880. As early as December 7, 1879. 



1881. January 15 ; very abundant in February. 



1882. 1883, 1884. Mild seasons, with very few Geese; 

 . those which came, arrived in driblets in January. 



1885. About a thousand arrived at Christmas, 1884 ; none 

 came afterwards. 



1886. Very few till the great snowstorm of March 1, 

 when they arrived in unprecedented numbers, leaving again 

 at end of month, as hereinafter described. 



o 



