AXATID^. 201 



used to be one ; so that it is only natural these sagacious 

 and wary birds should avoid places now become so 

 dangerous to them, and our county ornithologists can only 

 lament the absence of these once regular visitors from the 

 North. In very severe winters, like that of 1890-91, a 

 few are still driven by stress of weather to our estuaries 

 and marshes, and one hears of Brent Geese, Laughing 

 and Bean Geese being shot and brought to the local bircl- 

 stuffers, or being seen hanging up in game-dealers' shops ; 

 but the old times, when Wild Geese were commonly seen 

 flying overhead in <-shaped flocks in the autumn and 

 winter months, have now passed away for ever. This is 

 one of the inevitable changes which modern days have 

 witnessed in our county ornis, to be added to others of 

 a similar character and to be equally deplored. With 

 the exception of the Pink-footed Goose and the American 

 Snow Goose, which last has occurred a few times in Ireland 

 and the North of England, all the British species of Wild 

 Geese can be included in our County List. Even the rare 

 Red-breasted Goose has occurred twice in Devonshire. 



* Egyptian Goose, Chenaloijex wgypUacus (Linn.). 



Introduced. A large number of these handsome birds were formerly 

 kept on a pond, or lake, at Bicton, near East liudleigh, the seat of Lady 

 Itolle, and we have fre(]ucntly seen parties of twenty or more flying down 

 to tlie mouth of the Otter to feed, on autumn evenings, when they were 

 extremely wary and very noisy, and had all the actious of genuine wild 

 birds. These Geese sometimes roamed about the county, especially in 

 severe winters, when the i)onds were frozen over, and after very heavy 

 rains ; as many as forty were seen in a flock near Exeter, on Eobruary 

 12th, IbO!), when one was killed by a man who flung a pitclifoik at them. 

 rrol)ably most, if not all, of tlio .sijccimeiis which have been shot at largo 

 in Dcvonsliire and the neighl)ouring counties were only wandering 

 *' Pond Ornaments " from Jiicton, or from a piece of water near Crediton, 

 wliere some Egyptian Oeese were also formerly kept ((J. F. M., ' Naturalist,' 

 lyfHi, p. ii(JO). The time of the year when some of these were obtained 

 would entirely preclude the possiliility of their having been migrants from 

 Africa. Though most often obtained in mid-winter, they have been met 



