203 THE BIRDS OF DEYOX. 



February 1855, obtaining a fine male on 31st January. Some occurred in Norember 

 18S8, and one was shot there in January 1891. 



Four were shot out of a flock on Brauiiton Marsh early in October 1877 (M. A. ^I., 

 Zool. 1877, p. 4*J8). This Goose visits Lundy Island in winter (Trans. Devon. Assoc. 

 viii. p. 308). 



Accordinjij to !Mr. Piodd the AVhite-fronted Goose is not rare in hard 

 wiuters in Cornwall, flocks having been noted feeding in turnip-fields in 

 the Land's End district. In Dorsetshire it is rare, and Mr. Mansel- 

 rieydell states that, like all other Wild Geese, it becomes more scarce 

 every year. 



This Goose has a great range between its summer-quarters, which are 

 in the extreme Xorth of Europe, and its winter-hauuts in X. Africa, 

 India, and Cliina. It is said by Capt. Shelley to be the commonest of all 

 the Wild Geese in Egypt during the winter months. In Lapland a 

 smaller species of White-fronted Goose occurs (A. enjthrojvis, Linn.), and 

 Mr. Cordeaux once saw one hanging in a stall in Grimsby Market. 



In January 1SS8 Mr. Cecil Smith received the head, wing^, feet, and 

 legs of a Wild Goose which had been shot at West Buckland, near Wel- 

 lington, in Somerset, close to the Devonshire border, which, from their 

 small size, he supposed to have belonged to a Lesser White-fronted Goose. 

 These fragments of the bird were exhibited by Mr. Crisp at a meeting of 

 the Linnean Society in the month of April that year, and were considered 

 to indicate an immature Anser alhifrons (Zool. ]888, pp. I'.ib, 228). 



Brent Goose. Bemida hrenta (Pallas). 



A winter visitor, occurring in flocks of considerable size in our bavs, 

 and in the estuaries of our larger rivers, especially in severe seasons. 

 These flocks sometimes appear as earl}' as September and October, and 

 remain until April and even ^lay. 



The Brent Goose is a smaller species than any we have hitherto 

 described, and is by far the most common of all the Wild Geese in our 

 West Country, and also the tamest. As we write its name we seem once 

 more to hear the crunch, crunch, of our boat as we are slowly beating 

 against wind and tide towards a flock of these little black Geese on the 

 niudbanks on the Barnstaple river, where it was numerous enough in the 

 old days before the railways ran on either side, when the salt-marshes 

 were still undrained and unenclosed, and when shore-shooters were few. 

 We have shot ]irent Geese at Instow as early as the middle of September 

 and as late as the end of April. In old days a successful stalk of a flock 

 used to result in six or eight being bagged to a single shot, but such 

 chances are not to be had at the present day. Sometimes out of those 

 obtained we would find one which was fairly palatable when cooked, but, 

 in general, the flavour of the flesh was strong and fishy. The last shot 

 we had at Brent Geese was in November 1874 ; when, sailing back to 

 Instow from a day's Sniping on the Braunton Burrows, we espied two 

 sitting upon the water, which were tame enough to permit us to come 



