The Zoologist — January, 1874. 3815 



and announced that there would be no venison for breakfast that 

 morning. After they had rowed some miles, the hungry sportsmen 

 returned empty-handed; but they had seen the geese. This was 

 not the only time that they were imposed upon by rein-geese, 

 though never again to an equal extent. So it seems not improbable 

 that it may be owing to mistakes of this kind occurring now and 

 then that the brent goose in Spitsbergen is distinguished as the 

 rein-goose. 



Bernicla leucopsis, Bechst. (Bernicle Goose). — Prof. Nordensk- 

 jold shot a specimen of this goose in Bell Sound in 1858. It 

 was eaten up by the Expedition. We started on the evening 

 of the 22nd of July (James Kidd and I) to visit a lakelet on the 

 hills opposite Diana Island. Mr. Potter had reported the pre- 

 vious night that there were some queer-looking birds upon it, 

 such as he had never seen before; and Mr. Leigh Smith said that 

 in 1872 some of the same kind were found there by him ; but they 

 had not shot any. On our first arrival at the edge of the lake we 

 could see nothing but a pair of redthroated divers swimming, and 

 we therefore concluded that either these were the birds we had 

 come so far to see or that the strangers had departed. In a minute 

 or two, however, we found that they had not gone, for there they 

 were putting off from the shore at the other end of the water — a 

 dozen or more of bernicle geese. Our plans were formed at once. 

 Kidd took up a good position halfway down one side of the lake; 

 I manoeuvred with a very ugly dog on the other. After much 

 shouting, stone-throwing, and violent gesticulation on my part, and 

 a good deal of running about on the part of the frightful cur, the 

 whole line of the geese was driven within range of Kidd's gun. He 

 gave them a warm salute. Six birds and a half were placed kors 

 de combat at his first discharge; another barrel completed the 

 slaughter of the seventh. The astonished survivors betook them- 

 selves with all haste to a remote corner of the lake, and did not 

 once take their eyes off Kidd while we were waiting for the dead 

 to be floated ashore. As soon as they had seen us to a distance in 

 one direction, they ran off as fast as their legs would carry them 

 the other way, without stopping until they reached the sea. I saw 

 them there, through a telescope, the next day but one. Directly 

 they Saw me approaching within a mile of them they paddled out 

 to sea at full speed, looking round as they went to make quite sure 

 that they were not being pursued. If they could have flown they 



