242 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



their handsome plumage. But the White-fronted Goose, though 

 an infrequent visitant, is not limited in its appearances to our 

 salt marshes. In January 1891 I handled a couple of adult 

 birds which had been shot near Plumpton the previous day. 

 Another specimen had been shot some years earlier in the same 

 district, viz., at Edenhall, where it is preserved. I have not 

 heard of any examples being obtained in East Westmorland, 

 but the late Mr. Hindson shot a White-fronted Goose at Burton- 

 in-Lonsdale, just outside our southern limits, in 1830. I am 

 indebted to Mr. Edmund Sharpe, one of the enthusiastic ama- 

 teur punt-gunners of Morecambe Bay, for a notice of the recent 

 occurrence of this Goose upon that part of our coast. Keferring 

 to his experiences of the winter 1890-91, when he was shooting 

 upon the Kent near Arnside, Mr. Sharpe makes the following 

 remarks : ' With regard to the geese, I never saw geese myself 

 before at the head of the bay, they only come in very hard 

 winters, there is no proper food for them. In the estuary of the 

 Ribble it is different, they are there every winter, and in con- 

 siderable numbers, but there are some good marshes there which 

 accounts for it. There were only 10 geese in the flock I saw in 

 January last, I got 3 of them, the other 7 have been seen several 

 times since [February 7th, 1891], but no one has succeeded in 

 shooting one. Two of those I got are unmistakeably " white- 

 fronted geese " — a bar of white across the base of the bill, or 

 rather the "foot of the forehead," if I may use such a term, and 

 barred on the breast, with orange feet. The third goose was a 

 very heavy bird indeed, not unlike the others in colouring, but 

 no sign of a white " front " nor bars on breast, and the feet a real 

 chill beet-root colour. These were the only geese I have ever 

 seen, or shot at in all the years I have used a duck punt on 

 the Lune, and now at the head of the bay (some 22 years).' 

 The fact of this species being observed (both by Mr. Sharpe and 

 W. Nicol) to associate with Pink-footed Geese is interesting. The 

 White-fronted Goose is never as heavy a bird as the other Grey 

 Geese. It seems to lose condition more rapidly than they do in 

 continued frost. But six pounds is a heavy weight for even an 

 old gander of the White-fronted Goose. Whereas it would be a 

 very light weight for any of the other Great Geese that visit us. 



