BIRDS. 167 



Deerness in 1845 and 1848. On the 17th Feb. 1845 he saw 

 seven in Scapa Bay, which allowed him to approach quite close. 



Mr. T. W. Eanken shot one in Sanday in Sept. 1866, which 

 is an early date for the occurrence of this bird. 



The Brent Goose is a common but local species on the Main- 

 land, Deer Sound being still its most noted haunt there. 



Mr. Irvine-Fortescue has never seen or heard of this bird in 

 Hoy Sound, " which," he adds, " seems an unlikely place, unless 

 Messrs. Baikie and Heddle meant the adjoining bays. At Deer 

 Sound I have never seen more than some thirty or forty in a 

 flock." 



Mr. Denison, of West Brough, Sanday, tells us that both 

 this species and the Barnacle, though still found in Sanday, 

 are much rarer than formerly. Mr. Harvey writes us from 

 the same island : " The Brent Goose comes to Catisand in 

 winter. One of these birds, in the spring of 1886, took up 

 with our ducks and remained in their company, and fed as 

 they did until January 1887, when it vanished one night. It 

 was as tame as the ducks, and went with them in their house. 

 A pair came hovering near for about two weeks in April 1887, 

 but then vanished. I imagine that one of them was the one 

 referred to." 



Bernicla leucopsis (Bechst.). Bernacle Goose. 



Low mentions this as a spring visitor to Orkney. It occurs in 

 Sanday, according to Mr. Harvey and Mr. Denison ; and Mr. 

 E. S. Cameron of Burgar has shot it there. 



These geese occur also in Stronsay, as the Eev. Mr. Caskey 

 of Orphir informed Mr. Irvine-Fortescue, and are regular autumn 

 and winter visitants there ; Mr. Irvine-Fortescue saw a skin of 

 one in Mr. Caskey's possession. 



The Bernacle does not seem to be a very common visitant 

 to the Mainland. The first Mr. Irvine-Fortescue saw near 

 Swanbister was at " the Ting," or Toy Ness, as it is sometimes 

 called, on the 6th of May 1882, and he was told by a man who 

 had a cottage there, that a pair had been about for some 

 days. On the 7th of November of that year he saw four at 



