﻿102 
  

  

  BIRDS. 
  

  

  On 
  October 
  12th, 
  1887, 
  large 
  flocks 
  were 
  seen 
  to 
  arrive 
  near 
  

   Forres 
  by 
  O. 
  A. 
  J. 
  Lee. 
  Major 
  Chadwick 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  Visits 
  us 
  regu- 
  

   larly 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  as 
  the 
  Bean 
  Goose.' 
  

  

  The 
  Pink-footed 
  Goose 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  visitor 
  to 
  the 
  fields 
  bor- 
  

   dering 
  the 
  Beauly 
  Firth 
  near 
  Clunes, 
  but 
  only 
  during 
  the 
  spring 
  

   migration. 
  

  

  Anser 
  albifrons 
  (Scop.). 
  White-fronted 
  Goose. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  has 
  occurred 
  at 
  least 
  once 
  in 
  the 
  north-east 
  of 
  our 
  area, 
  

   viz., 
  at 
  Helmsdale 
  (Fauna 
  of 
  Sutherland 
  and 
  Caithness, 
  p. 
  309), 
  and 
  

   the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  was 
  sent 
  us 
  for 
  identification. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  

   a 
  rare 
  bird 
  anywhere 
  out 
  of 
  Morayshire, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  only 
  one 
  other 
  

   record 
  of 
  its 
  occurrence 
  outside 
  that 
  county, 
  when 
  one 
  was 
  sent 
  to 
  

   Macleay 
  fromRyefield 
  by 
  Captain 
  Warrand 
  on 
  October 
  25th, 
  1893. 
  

  

  St. 
  John 
  says 
  that 
  in 
  Morayshire 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  a 
  regular 
  

   winter 
  visitant, 
  coming 
  about 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  October, 
  and 
  re- 
  

   maining 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  place, 
  if 
  not 
  much 
  disturbed, 
  until 
  its 
  

   departure 
  in 
  spring 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  rather 
  tamer 
  than 
  the 
  other 
  geese. 
  

  

  Brown 
  of 
  Forres 
  shot 
  a 
  very 
  beautifully 
  marked 
  example 
  in 
  

   the 
  parish 
  of 
  Kinloss, 
  near 
  Forres. 
  

  

  Bernicla 
  brenta 
  (Pall). 
  Brent 
  Goose. 
  

   Local 
  Name. 
  — 
  Covesea 
  Geese 
  (pronounced 
  ' 
  Cowsie 
  '). 
  

  

  Brent 
  Geese 
  occur 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  estuaries 
  from 
  the 
  Little 
  Ferry 
  south- 
  

   wards. 
  Mr. 
  Jennings 
  remarks 
  that 
  though 
  not 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  

   Dornoch 
  Firth, 
  they 
  are 
  very 
  numerous 
  in 
  the 
  Cromarty 
  Firth 
  in 
  

   winter. 
  

  

  St. 
  John 
  remarks 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  arrives 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   September, 
  and 
  the 
  flocks 
  continue 
  to 
  increase 
  until 
  they 
  leave 
  in 
  

   April. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  included 
  in 
  Major 
  Chadwick's 
  'list 
  of 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  Culbin.' 
  

   They 
  are 
  called 
  1 
  Cowsie 
  Geese/ 
  owing 
  to 
  an 
  old 
  erroneous 
  idea 
  

   that 
  they 
  bred 
  there 
  1 
  (auct. 
  James 
  Brown). 
  Brent 
  Geese 
  literally 
  

   swarm 
  during 
  some 
  winters 
  — 
  as, 
  for 
  instance, 
  1890-91 
  — 
  inFindhorn 
  

   Bay, 
  almost 
  covering 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  were 
  but 
  little 
  

   disturbed. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  as 
  recently 
  as 
  1885 
  they 
  were 
  of 
  much 
  

   rarer 
  occurrence. 
  Brown, 
  however, 
  seems 
  to 
  consider 
  that 
  all 
  kinds 
  

   of 
  geese 
  are 
  now 
  on 
  the 
  decrease 
  in 
  Findhorn 
  Bay. 
  They 
  were 
  

  

  1 
  They 
  could 
  not 
  breed 
  there, 
  as 
  the 
  skerries 
  are 
  tide- 
  and 
  wind-swept, 
  unless, 
  

   indeed, 
  the 
  local 
  name 
  arose 
  from 
  the 
  old 
  belief 
  that 
  Geese 
  grew 
  out 
  of 
  barnacles. 
  

  

  