60 ANATIDiE. 



far off, swam in a direction parallel to that in which I proceeded, 

 I was surprised to find that their progression, when quite at 

 ease and undisturbed, considerably exceeded mine ; it could not 

 have been less than about four Irish miles an hour — my rate of 

 walking at the time being three of these miles. When their 

 speed was increased by seeing the small old-fashioned shooting cot 

 approaching, they swam faster than it could be " set on them." 



January 1847, — The following information was communicated 

 to me respecting the brent goose at Lame Lough, where it is 

 numerous during winter. Every evening, at this season, they fly 

 down the lough to remain on the deep water near its entrance or 

 outside, in the open sea, for the night. After sun-rise — the sun 

 being always up before they leave — they invariably fly up the lough 

 to their day station. Later in the season, they all betake them- 

 selves out to sea in the evening, and every morning then, a 

 line of boats containing shooters is stationed at regular intervals 

 across the narrowest part of the entrance of the lough (at the ferry), 

 to intercept them in their flight. The water is rarely too rough 

 for this proceeding, the boats being often almost invisible among 

 the breakers. Notwithstanding this daily practice of the shooters, 

 the birds always take the same course of flight, above the water, 

 but generally keep so liigli that not many are killed from the 

 boats. Once only has my informant observed the brent goose 

 to feed by night here, when a few birds out of a flock were so 

 noticed by moonlight. 



During the last week of this month (January, 1847), brent 

 geese were very numerous and tame, both in Larne and Belfast 

 loughs, though the weather at the time, as well as that preceding 

 and subsequent to it, was fine. They appeared in such long, 

 solid masses, as to be compared to highways on the water. At 

 such times, the fowler speaks of shooting " along a mile of them." 

 They were higher up both loughs at night than previously known 

 to be, and, in the latter estuary, approached within about two fur- 

 longs of the quays of the town. Seventy-nine birds were killed 

 here during the week by a wild- fowl shooter, fourteen of which 



