14 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



(Spatula clypeata) occurs regularly during summer, and breeds on 

 an inland pond in company with Mallards, Teal, Coots, Water- 

 hens and Dabchicks. I think Shovellers, at least in Northum- 

 berland, seldom come into the slakes ; on no occasion have I 

 ever seen them there ; probably they migrate direct from their 

 breeding-places southwards. The only one I ever shot was on 

 August 12th, 1877. 



Of all the wildfowl visiting the coast of Northumberland, 

 " Grey Geese " are, to the punt-gunner, the most difficult to 

 negotiate. Feeding as they do during the daytime on grain- 

 stubbles, they are then beyond the fowler's reach, unless, indeed, 

 he has the right to follow them. 



It was on the 16th September last that I shot the Lesser 

 White-fronted Goose {Anser albifrons viimitus ; Anser erythropus, 

 Linn), as elsewhere recorded (' The Field,' December 11th, 188G, 

 p. 872) ; but the migratory hosts of the ordinary Grey Geese did 

 not arrive until October 12th, nearly a month later, which is 

 about their usual date. A special feature in connection with 

 these Grey Geese was the extraordinary numbers in which they 

 invaded our shores last autumn. Never previously, so far as 

 I know, have such numbers been seen here. On the evening 

 of October 14th I went to a place where I thought a shot 

 might be had at them. About 5.15 p.m. I was greatly sur- 

 prised to see a large flock rise off the open sand wastes 

 where they generally spend the night, and, with a great " gag- 

 gling," wing their way inland. After mancBuvring some ten 

 minutes, during which time they did not maintain their regular 

 V-shaped formation, but flew in loose order, they all went down 

 into a barley-stubble, when they made a great noise; then all 

 was silent. The moon was rising at the time, and a herdsman 

 who happened to be passing that way put them up again off" the 

 stubble. It was then too dark to see them, but I heard tliem 

 flying and gaggling about the fields for an hour afterwards, when 

 I left them quietly feeding by night. At first this conduct 

 seemed most strange, but reflection soon showed that it was only 

 as it should be. At this time of the year, when, owing to the 

 inhospitable nature of our climate, the farmer has been unable 

 to get his cereals gathered and led fi'om the fields, it is obviously 

 impossible for the Grey Geese to get their diurnal feed, owing 

 to the number of labourers working in the fields where they 



