BIRDS. 165 



Greylag Goose at that place, and Mr. Eanken, in a letter of the 

 23d of that month, says, writing of this specimen : " A single 

 Greylag Goose visited the little loch where this one was shot, 

 last season, for a few days early in March, and that bird was 

 also a solitary specimen. It became so tame as to feed with 

 the tame geese and ducks." 



Speaking of geese generally, Mr. Watt tells us he has seen 

 large flocks in winter, their favourite haunts in his parish 

 (Sandwick) being Wasbister, by the loch of Stenness, and some 

 low marshy ground by the loch of Voy. He has only seen a 

 chance one or two at Skaill. 



Anser brachyrhynchus, Baill. Pink-footed Goose, 



Mr. Millais writes us as follows : " I have seen this goose twice 

 on Loch Harray, and once shot one which fell some distance 

 inland, but having left my dog at home that day, I could not 

 find it, though I am sure it was this species, as I have killed 

 a considerable number of them in the south." 



This, so far, is the only instance of the occurrence of this 

 species in Orkney that has come to our knowledge. We think 

 that, owing to Mr. Millais' intimate acquaintance with wild 

 fowl, there can be little doubt that the birds referred to were 

 Pink-footed Geese. 



Since the foregoing was written, Mr. T. S. Cameron informs 

 us that the remains of a Pink-footed Goose were picked up by 

 Miss Flower, near Swanbister; the bird had been pulled to pieces 

 by Hooded Crows, but enough remained to identify the species. 



Anser albifrons (Scop.). White-fronted Goose, 



From recent accounts, quite the commonest of all geese in Orkney. 

 Mr. Irvine-Fortescue says this species is a regular winter 

 visitant to the north and west of the Mainland, possibly 

 passing on in severe winters. He further says : " I find very 

 great difference in the amount of white round the base of the 

 bill; some have almost none, others a good deal. They are 

 extremely local, apparently keeping to the basins of the lochs 



