238 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



of Cumberland the previous week, adding that in the winter of 

 1864-65, which was unusually severe, many wild Geese were 

 shot in the west of Cumberland. The Patriot of January 21, 

 1842, chronicles that ' during the last few days a great number 

 of wild Geese have been vegetating both in Bassenthwaite Water 

 and in Keswick Lake.' 



PINK-FOOTED GOOSE. 



Anser brachyrhynchus, Baill. 



The earliest reference to this species in Lakeland that I have 

 as yet discovered appears in a note which T. C. Heysham directed 

 to the late Mr. J. H. Gurney, dated February 23, 1842. In 

 this he says, ' I feel myself extremely obliged to you for your 

 kind offer to send me a specimen of the Pink-footed Goose, 

 should you at any time have the chance to meet with it again, 

 and I beg to say that such a thing will be very acceptable, as it 

 is a rare bird in our market, as nearly all the wildfowl now taken 

 in the west of Cumberland are sent to Liverpool by steam.' 

 Mr. J. B. Hodgkinson is under the impression that this bird 

 was not uncommon on the Solway marshes at the time that 

 T. C. Heysham wrote this letter, and certainly the letter contains 

 a hint that Heysham knew that the bird had occurred locally. 

 Mr. A. Smith first met with this species on Eockliffe marsh in 

 1871. On the 6th of November that year he shot a solitary 

 bird, which he says had been about for some time, and had all 

 the appearance of having been wounded previously. He never 

 secured another specimen until the 16th of February 1888, when 

 he shot a fine bird out of a gaggle of thirty-four individuals, 

 which had frequented Eockliffe marsh for the previous two 

 months. On the 26th of December 1889 another Pink-footed 

 Goose was shot on Eockliffe marsh out of a gaggle estimated to 

 consist of forty birds. The head was duly forwarded to me for 

 identification. On the 8th of March 1892 I received a note 

 from Mr. Smith, in which he says, ' There are at present a large 

 number of geese on the marsh, and at least three varieties, 

 namely, Barnacle, Pink-foot, and Bean Geese. They are likely 

 to remain for a short time while this hard weather continues. If 



