HABITS AND MIGRATION OF WILDFOWL. 17 



Sutherlancishire and in the Hebrides). They do not remain 

 during the winter in Norway, and why should the birds we have 

 here during October and November not be the Norsk-bred Grey- 

 lags resting in their passage southwards ? From what I have 

 seen of them I am inclined to think that this is the case. 



They look enormous birds as they stand on the flat sands, 

 and this is not in accordance with their being A. hracliyrhyncus, 

 the latter being much smaller birds. That they are not the 

 White-fronted species, A. albifrons, I am sure, or I should 

 certainly have identified them with the glass. Possibly they may 

 be Bean Geese, A. segetiim. 



Though Brent Geese invariably frequent certain parts of the 

 Northumberland coast during the winter months, the Bernicle, 

 Bernicla leucojjsis, very seldom does so. This year, on Septem- 

 ber 23rd, six Bernicles appeared in the slakes at Holy Island, 

 probably on passage to their more regular haunts on the Solway. 

 The islanders assert positively that none had been seen for 

 fully thirty years previously. One of the six was wounded by a 

 local gunner, but never bagged. 



I have already remarked that in 1886 Wigeon arrived on 

 September 11th; it was September 16th when the Lesser White- 

 fronted G;oose appeared. Both of these dates are unusually 

 early for these birds, yet on September 17th I was even more 

 sui'prised to witness the arrival of the Brent Goose in the slakes. 

 This was a single bird, and not until October 18th did another 

 occur, when four made their appearance, staying for a day or 

 two, and again entirely disappearing. Small detachments keep 

 arriving during November and December, by the end of which 

 month perhaps a hundred or two may have assembled. During 

 January and February this number is increased to perhaps a 

 thousand or two, and this is the winter stock in mild weather. 

 When, however, by stress of weather in the Baltic and other 

 northern waters, the geese are compelled to retreat before the 

 cold to more congenial shores, then the regular stock is increased, 

 aye, tenfold ! This is the time for the wildfowler afloat ! 



The Brent obtained by me on September 17th was an old 

 bird in poor condition. The features in the plumage were pale 

 yellow feathers at intervals among the ordinary slate-blue feathers 

 of the back, giving the bird a splashed appearance, and, on 

 examination, small brown feathers were visible among the sooty 



ZOOLOGIST. JAN. 1887. 



