214 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
Bewick’s Swan, White-fronted, Brent, Bernicle, and Egyptian Geese. 
I have not enquired into the history of the Egyptian species, but no doubt 
it was some escaped bird. Two winters ago we had a pair at Wareham, 
but their wings showed their origin at once. Last winter we had a visit 
from a party of Canada Geese: about twenty in number made their 
appearance on the low land by the river-side, in front of our window at 
Westport. Two of them were speedily shot, and a third fell wounded in a 
field and was secured after an exciting chase. I examined these birds and 
saw nothing in their appearance to show that they had been domesticated, 
but this species of goose is so often kept in a semi-wild state on private 
ponds and lakes that one can tell nothing from that. In the spring and 
early summer there were a nice lot of Curlews and Sheldrakes about the 
different bays and gravelly points with which our large harbour abounds; 
a good many nests, too, were hatched out in due season: the young 
« Burrow Ducks,” as they are called, are, I am sorry to say, often wantonly 
destroyed, but a good number pull through and soon get wild enough to 
take care of themselves; these, curiously enough, leave us in autumn, and 
we see no more of them until the winter arrivals in November. Ring 
Plovers abound on several beaches, especially on the long low point running 
out from the Arne peninsula, yclept “ Patchins,” “nota qu@ sedes,” for 
the waders, from the Dunlin to the Heron. Many a prize has alighted 
there, and five or six Spoonbills were once obtained there at one shot. 
Herons are almost becoming a nuisance from the number that annually 
come forth from the heronry among the fir trees on Arne Hill, the eel- 
pickers holding them in as bad repute almost as Shags, Gulls seem to 
have increased a good deal since the passing of the Act, 2. e. the Herring 
Gull, which has a large breeding station between Old Harry and Swanage. 
In August, when the young brown ones come into the harbour, large 
numbers frequent the muds, especially Bran Bay at the mouth of the 
harbour. Besides these Herring Gulls we see only a few Black-headed ones. 
I have discovered two nesting haunts of this species in Dorsetshire, but 
only a few pairs bred in each, although large numbers frequent the harbour. 
There must be a large gullery somewhere near, if one knew where to 
look for it. Several Peregrines breed in the coast line between Old Harry 
and Lulworth; and the Red-legged Chough, I am happy to say, may still 
be seen in one or two favoured localities. The Green Cormorant, formerly 
quite a rare bird on our cliff, has now several stations on the same wild 
piece of coast line, and seems likely to become as familiar as his larger 
brother the Shag; a curious thing about this bird is, that it hardly ever is 
seen inside the harbour-—it seems to prefer the open sea. I once got one 
inside, and that was at Stoney Island close to the mouth—a young bird 
in the immature plumage. The nature of our coast renders it a capital 
harbour of refuge to the birds; its strong tides, fierce races, and inaccessible 
