DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS. 235 



surround them often taking advantage of a dense 

 sea-fog to do so and quietly drive them into a 

 netted enclosure on the shore, where they are killed 

 at leisure. One of these grand " drives" witnessed 

 by Mr. Trevor- Battye resulted in the capture of 

 upwards of three thousand Brents ! A form or 

 variety of the Brent Goose, with the under parts 

 below the breast nearly white, is commonly found 

 consorting with birds of the typical colour. It is 

 the Bernicla glaucogaster of Brehm, and, as far as 

 is known, breeds only in the Nearctic region. It 

 is not known to differ in its habits from the more 



typical form. 



BERNACLE GOOSE. 



This somewhat larger species, the Anas leucopsis 

 of Bechstein, and the A user leucopsis of most 

 modern naturalists, is a fairly common winter visitor 

 to the British coasts, where it is most abundant on 

 the western littoral, from Cornwall up to the 

 Hebrides. Unlike the Brent, the Bernacle Goose 

 frequently wanders inland to winter on large sheets 

 of fresh-water. This Goose is readily distinguished 

 by its white cheeks, and much lighter underparts 

 below the breast. Owing to peculiarities of distri- 

 bution, rather perhaps than to choice, the Bernacle 

 Goose frequents more rocky coasts than its ally. It 

 is also just as gregarious, but owing to the nature 

 of its food is more of a land species, and certainly 

 more nocturnal in its habits. Although frequenting 

 sand-banks and mud-flats to sleep and to rest, it 



