146 A CATALOGUE OF THE BIRDS 



142. ANSER, Ban-he. 



31. Geey Lag Gtoose. A. cinehetjs, Meyer. 



Anserferus, Bewick, Hist. Brit. Birds, Ed. 1847, II., 236. 

 ,, Yarrell, Hist. Brit. Birds, Ed. 2, III., 140. 



A casual visitant. This Goose occasionally occurs in winter, 

 singly, or in twos or threes, but never in large flocks. It does 

 not appear with sufiicient regularity to entitle it to rank as an 

 annual visitant. I have three or four specimens, all killed at 

 Prestwick Car. Two of them when shot were associated with 

 the domestic Goose, great numbers of which were reared at that 

 place. It sometimes visits the Lake at Gosforth; I saw one 

 there in April, 1856. 



Wc took the eggs of this species in !N"orway, in 1833, And 

 while on a tour in Sutherlandshire, with the late Mr. Charles 

 St. John, we saw several of its nests on an island in Loch Leoil ; 

 the eggs had all been removed a few days before we visited this 

 spot. We, however, saw the birds (six or seven pairs), which 

 left the island on our approach, and flew to the mainland ; they 

 had evidently commenced to reconstruct their nests, which had 

 been Avell formed, and considerably raised above the ground ; 

 they were composed of grass and lichen. 



There can be no doubt that the Grey Lag is the progenitor of 

 the domestic Goose, some of which are so like the wild specimens 

 as not to be distinguishable ; and many of the old ganders have 

 a few straggling black feathers between the legs, exactly similar 

 to those seen in a wild state. This relationship seems to be re- 

 cognized by the Grey Lag itself, for it is very much inclined to 

 join and feed Avith the domestic Goose. I have known this to 

 occur several times besides that mipntioned above. 



I possess four eggs and the inner portion of a nest, which 

 were taken on an island in Loch Maree, llosshire, by Mr. H. T. 

 Elwes, to whom I am indebted for the specimens. 



