419 
ON THE OCCURRENCE IN IRELAND OF THE LESSER 
SNOW GOOSE, ANSER ALBATUS, Cassin. 
By tHe Eprror. 
Ir will be in the recollection of many of the readers of this 
journal that a few years ago Mr. Howard Saunders directed 
attention to the capture, in the County Wexford, of two Snow 
Geese, which having been forwarded to London for sale with other 
wild-fowl were fortunately rescued by him from oblivion. A third 
one, not preserved, was shot about the same time (November, 1871) 
in Wexford Harbour. * 
I have now to report the re-appearance of what I believe to be 
the same species of goose in the County Mayo, and the capture of 
two examples under somewhat singular circumstances. 
I first heard of the occurrence in August last, through my friend 
Mr. Henry S. Sweetman, whose name has been lately before the 
public in connection with the useful Calendar which he is pre- 
paring of Documents relating to Ireland in the Public Record 
Office, and a portion of which has been already published in the 
Master of the Rolls Series. As he was on his way to Ireland 
when he communicated the information to me, and was to spend 
some time in the Co. Mayo, in the very neighbourhood where the 
Snow Geese were procured, I begged that he would make sure 
that the birds in question were not Bernicles, and send me any 
particulars which he could collect concerning them. As he was 
personally acquainted with the gentleman who obtained them, 
Mr. J. R. Crampton, of Lake View, Belmullet, he found no difficulty 
in complying with my request, and shortly favoured me with the 
following note :— 
“A flock of seven Snow Geese were seen on marshy ground in 
Termonearra, in the Barony of Erris, about the end of October last. 
One of them was shot, and a second, a gander, trapped. After a 
time the latter was placed with some tame geese, and soon frater- 
nised with them. He has now (August 26th) got quite tame, and 
may be seen leading a party of three dozen of his domesticated 
relatives, who follow him wherever he goes. He is rather smaller 
and more elegantly shaped than they are. Five or six of the 
principal feathers in each wing are black; with this exception he 
* See Proce. Zool. Soc., 1872, p. 519. 
