in Cheat Britain during the Nesting-season. 441 



Ohs. — Both the Bean-Goose {A. segetum, Meyer) and the 

 Pink-footed Goose [A. brachyrhynchus, Baill.) have been recorded 

 as breeding in Scotland ; but Sir W. Jardine informs me that 

 in Sutherland the Grey-lag Goose has been mistaken for the 

 Bean-Goose, and the more recent observations of the late Mr. J. 

 Wolley have conclusively proved that only one species at present 

 breeds in the north of Scotland. 



Similarly, in the Outer Hebrides, only the Grey-lag Goose has 

 been lately found in the localities where Mr. J. Macgillivray 

 believed that he had discovered the breeding-station of the Pink- 

 footed Goose. 



The late Mr. Arthur Strickland has described two species of 

 Goose as having formerly inhabited the " carrs " of Yoi'kshire 

 (Ann. & Mag. N. H. 3 ser. iii. pp. 121-124). One of them, 

 which he terms Anser paludosus, is apparently identical with 

 the Bean-Goose of other authors; but there is no positive 

 evidence of the bird having bred in this country, it being a 

 species proper to much higher northern latitudes. 



Cygnus ferus {Leach), Whooper, or Whistling Swan. 

 Province [XVIII.]. 

 Subprovince (37). 

 Lat. 58°-60°. " Scottish " type, formerly. 



In his 'Fauna Orcadensis ' (p. 133), Mr. Low remarks of the 

 Wild Swan, that "A few pairs build in the holms of the Loch 

 of Stenness. * * * But the few that build here never increase, 

 are always robbed by the country-people." This observation 

 was probably made about eighty years ago, the author having 

 died in 1795. Messrs. Baikie and Heddle add, in 1848, that 

 ''the birds have not been known to build there for many 

 years." 



Mr. J. H. Dunn tells me that old men well remember their 

 fathers speaking of having taken several Wild Swans' nests on 

 the small islands in the large loch of Harray, about one hun- 

 dred years ago. 



Tn Ireland the Wild Swan appears to have been formerly 

 more numerous, and to have extended further south than in 

 Great Britain. 



