Anseres 147 



the Arctic seas to western Siberia ; the latter is locally 

 more abundant in western England as well as in 

 Ireland. To sum up, the " black-naUed " Geese are 

 those which compose most of our large winter flocks 

 of Grey Geese, and among them the Pink-footed in most 

 cases outnumbers the Bean Goose. 



Finally we come to our two black Geese, the Bernacle 

 Goose {Branta leucopsis) which breeds from about 

 Greenland to Spitsbergen in the Arctic seas, and the 

 Brent Goose (B. bernicla), certainly the commonest of 

 the whole group in Britain in the cold season, which 

 in summer ranges from the east of Arctic America 

 eastward to the Taimyr Peninsula in Siberia. A few 

 pairs of the first-named nest on the Lofoten Islands 

 off the coast of Norway. Allowing for an even more 

 northerly range, the habits of the Black Geese are 

 similar to those of the Grey Geese, but they feed on 

 the salt oozes or mud flats rather than on the land, 

 and are very partial to the grass-wrack that often 

 covers the flats. The eggs are more creamy in colora- 

 tion and smaller, as is natural, for the birds are not 

 as large as Grey Geese. The Brent Goose is entirely 

 black, except for the white belly and a spot on each 

 side of the neck, but the Bernacle Goose differs in having 

 the entire face white and the upper parts lightish grey 

 with white and black bars. 



Subfamily Cygninse, on Swans 



The Swans are known to us all from our domesti- 

 cated birds. They fly very powerfully, if a little 

 heavily, but spend most of their time shimming about 

 or sleeping on the water, when they are riot occupied 

 in feeding. To reach the water-plants which form 



10—2 



