52 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



ought to be kept asunder." These words certainly apply with 

 great force to the case of A. rubrirostris. 



Anser rubrirostris is an Eastern species, breeding in Siberia, 

 and wintering in India and China. It may be asked by some, 

 how such birds could have wandered so far from their usual 

 course. No surprise, I think, need be expressed on this score. 

 I have already pointed out, while discussing the case of Anser 

 gambeli, that many birds are varying their lines of migration, 

 and seeking " fresh fields and pastures new." Plenty of other 

 birds come to us occasionally from Eastern Siberia, and why 

 not A. rubrirostris 1 } The very same time that this presumably 

 small flock of Geese came to our shores, a Baer's Pochard (Nyroca 

 baeri), from the same regions, made its appearance on Tring 

 Reservoir! (cf. Bulletin, British Ornithologists' Club, November, 

 1901), and fell to the gun of the Hon. Nathaniel Charles Roth- 

 schild ; thus showing that there was a divergence in the line 

 of migration of Eastern birds at that time, and that probably 

 other specimens of Baer's Pochard came to us, but were over- 

 looked. 



I do not regard A. rubrirostris as an overlooked British bird, 

 but as a very rare visitor which has probably never occurred 

 before. I have taken a keen interest in the Ducks and Geese 

 for a great many years past, and I certainly think that this bird 

 has never before occurred within my memory. Four other speci- 

 mens were sent a few days later from the same man at Limerick 

 but I deeply regret to say that I had not then fully made up 

 my mind as to the identity of the species, and, not wanting 

 to have such a large number of these great birds in my col- 

 lection, allowed them to pass from me. They were plucked 

 and devoured ! However, all other Grey Geese which were sent 

 by this man from Limerick for the rest of the season I examined, 

 and they were all A. cinereus. From this we may conclude that 

 one flock of these birds visited Ireland, out of which nine were 

 shot. The birds remained through November, when, if any of 

 their numbers survived, they departed, probably never to return 

 again. Nine of these birds having fallen to the gun within a few 

 days points to the fact that they were strangers from a far-off 

 land where they did not fear man, as our wary Grey-lags have 

 learned to do. 



