﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  101 
  

  

  Anser 
  cinereus, 
  Meyer. 
  Greylag 
  Goose. 
  

  

  The 
  Greylag 
  still 
  breeds 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  our 
  area 
  about 
  the 
  

   chain 
  of 
  lochs 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Helmsdale 
  river, 
  but, 
  though 
  

   protected 
  there 
  since 
  1875 
  or 
  thereabouts, 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  to 
  

   increase. 
  Mr. 
  Baillie 
  informs 
  us 
  that 
  in 
  1893 
  these 
  birds 
  had 
  left 
  

   the 
  lochs 
  about 
  Lairg 
  and 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  Loch 
  Brora, 
  and 
  that 
  

   none 
  had 
  been 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  keepers. 
  They 
  were 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  

   latter 
  localities, 
  to 
  our 
  knowledge, 
  in 
  1877-9. 
  

  

  To 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  our 
  area 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  only 
  a 
  rare, 
  

   or, 
  at 
  least, 
  a 
  very 
  occasional 
  visitant. 
  In 
  the 
  Dornoch 
  Firth 
  Mr. 
  

   Jennings 
  looks 
  on 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  casual 
  winter 
  visitor. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  seen 
  

   at 
  Fairburn, 
  as 
  Captain 
  Stirling 
  informs 
  us. 
  St. 
  John 
  says 
  it 
  is 
  

   now 
  rarely 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  county 
  of 
  Moray 
  (1847 
  ?), 
  though 
  it 
  was, 
  he 
  

   was 
  informed, 
  once 
  very 
  common 
  there. 
  

  

  At 
  Forres, 
  Brown 
  says 
  it 
  occurs 
  early 
  in 
  spring 
  ; 
  and 
  near 
  the 
  

   same 
  place 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  twenty-eight 
  was 
  seen 
  by 
  O. 
  A. 
  J. 
  Lee 
  on 
  

   the 
  12th 
  October 
  1887 
  (1). 
  

  

  The 
  Geese 
  passing 
  over 
  Huntly 
  in 
  spring 
  are 
  believed 
  by 
  Dr. 
  

   J. 
  0. 
  Wilson 
  1 
  to 
  be 
  Greylags, 
  and 
  Edward 
  says 
  they 
  have 
  occurred, 
  

   but 
  other 
  accounts 
  speak 
  of 
  grey 
  geese 
  as 
  being 
  of 
  rare 
  occurrence 
  : 
  

   small 
  flocks 
  are 
  seen 
  passing 
  in 
  spring 
  at 
  Findhorn. 
  The 
  Greylag 
  

   is 
  included 
  in 
  Major 
  Chadwick's 
  list. 
  

  

  Anser 
  segetum 
  (Gmd.). 
  Bean 
  Goose. 
  

  

  A 
  regular 
  migrant 
  in 
  spring 
  and 
  autumn 
  to 
  the 
  flat 
  plains 
  of 
  Moray, 
  

   according 
  to 
  St. 
  John, 
  who 
  adds 
  that 
  their 
  stay 
  in 
  autumn 
  is 
  very 
  

   short 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  what 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  spring. 
  In 
  autumn 
  they 
  

   arrive 
  in 
  October, 
  earlier 
  or 
  later, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  weather, 
  and 
  

   in 
  spring 
  appear 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  first 
  oats 
  are 
  sown, 
  about 
  the 
  10th 
  

   or 
  12 
  th 
  of 
  March. 
  

  

  Anser 
  brachyrhynchus, 
  Baili. 
  Pink-footed 
  Goose. 
  

  

  In 
  some 
  notes 
  sent 
  us 
  by 
  Sheriff 
  Mackenzie 
  from 
  Tain 
  in 
  April 
  1887, 
  

   he 
  says 
  that 
  this 
  species 
  occurs 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  upon 
  the 
  

   shores 
  of 
  the 
  'Morrich 
  More,' 
  lying 
  between 
  Tain 
  and 
  Tarbert- 
  

   ness, 
  during 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  April. 
  On 
  Tuesday, 
  April 
  19th, 
  1887, 
  

   one 
  was 
  shot 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  flock 
  which 
  was 
  feeding 
  in 
  a 
  cornfield, 
  

   and 
  was 
  identified 
  by 
  Sheriff 
  Mackenzie 
  as 
  being 
  of 
  this 
  species. 
  

   The 
  head 
  was 
  forwarded 
  to 
  us 
  for 
  inspection. 
  

  

  1 
  A 
  belief 
  very 
  difficult 
  cither 
  to 
  agree 
  with 
  or 
  differ 
  from. 
  

  

  