228 BRITISH SEA BIRDS. 



known" to dive. The flight of this species is both 

 rapid and powerful, the birds usually forming into 

 Vs or Ws to perform their journeys. The call- 

 note is a loud, far-sounding gag-gag, variously 

 modulated on different occasions. Its food con- 

 sists largely of grass and tender grain plants, 

 but grain of all kinds is sought, together with 

 various buds and leaves. 



The Gray Lag Goose breeds early, in some 

 localities the eggs being laid in March or April, 

 a month later in the more northern districts. It 

 is a social bird at this period, and numbers of 

 nests are often made close together. Its breeding 

 grounds are secluded moors and swamps. The 

 huge nest, made on the ground, is placed amongst 

 heath or dense vegetation, and is composed of 

 branches of heather, dry grass, rushes, bracken, 

 turf, and so on, and lined with down. The six 

 or eight eggs are creamy-white. The gander keeps 

 guard close to the nest, whilst the goose incubates 

 the eggs ; and when the young are reared a move 

 is usually made seawards. 



WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. 



This Goose, the Branta albifrons of Scopoli, but 

 the Anser albifrons of most modern writers, is a 

 winter visitor to our islands, not only local in distri- 

 bution, but much more abundant in some years than 

 others. It may be readily distinguished from the 

 preceding species by its orange -yellow bill, white 



