ANATIDA. 399 
THE WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. 
ANSER ALBIFRONS (Scopoli). 
The White-fronted—or, as it is sometimes called from its hoarse 
note, the Laughing—Goose, is a smaller bird than the preceding 
species, which, however, it resembles in having a zAz¢e nail at the 
tip of the bill. It is a winter-visitor to the British Islands, and 
large flocks occasionally arrive in England, especially in the south 
and south-west; but it is not plentiful on the east coast, and is 
local in its distribution. It annually visits some of the bogs in Wales, 
as well as Swansea Bay, and is the species found in large numbers 
on the Severn, especially near Berkeley, from December to 
March. It is uncommon on the east side of the mainland of 
Scotland, except near the Moray Firth; while on the west it occurs 
but sparingly in the Outer Hebrides, though in Islay it is the 
commonest of the ‘Grey’ Geese, arriving early in October, and 
remaining till the middle of April. It is irregularly plentiful in the 
Shetlands, and is the commonest species in the Orkneys. In 
Ireland it is abundant, and more widely distributed inland than any 
other member of the genus. 
The true White-fronted Goose ‘has occurred in the Feroes and 
throughout Iceland; and although it is not known to nest in 
Norway or Sweden, yet in winter it visits their coasts, as well as 
