144 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



have nested and laid at Lilford, but never succeeded 

 in rearing their young to maturity. The White- 

 fronted Goose becomes easily reconciled to captivity, 

 and is by far the most tame of any of our grey Geese. 

 I met with this species in considerable abundance on 

 the Ionian coasts of Tmkey and Greece, and have 

 seen one or two in Andalucia, where, however, it 

 is by no means common. 



In the three successive seasons of 1892, 1893, 

 and 1894 a female of this species mated with a male 

 Bean-Goose, layed eggs, and reared several young 

 birds on our aviary-pond at Lilford. This is the 

 more remarkable, as there have been males and 

 females of both species upon this pond during the 

 whole of the period above referred to. 



173. BEAN-GOOSE. 



Anser segetum. 



From my earliest recollection till about the year 

 1856 our stubbles and water-meadows near Lilford 

 were always visited and frequented by wild Geese, 

 sometimes in very large numbers, from about the end 

 of harvest till the following April, and with three or 

 four exceptions the few that were obtained by our- 

 selves before the year mentioned were of the present 

 species. Since that time the wild Geese that visit 

 our district have very remarkably decreased in 

 number, and very seldom alight in the neigh- 

 bourhood ; and although I constantly hear of small 

 flocks seen passing over high in air, these birds are 

 now to be counted by units or at most by tens, 

 instead of by hundreds, as was frequently the case 

 in years gone by. I believe that the valley of the 



