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  THE 
  VEETEBEATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  " 
  DEE." 
  

  

  the 
  Bean 
  Goose 
  that 
  is 
  referred 
  to. 
  That 
  the 
  Gray 
  Lag 
  is 
  

   very 
  uncommon 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  think, 
  for 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  

   forty 
  years 
  only 
  one 
  has 
  come 
  to 
  hand. 
  Still 
  this 
  species 
  

   may 
  have 
  occurred 
  within 
  " 
  Dee," 
  for 
  MacGillivray 
  says 
  : 
  

   " 
  In 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  September, 
  1843, 
  I 
  inspected 
  three 
  specimens 
  

   from 
  Deeside 
  in 
  the 
  Aberdeen 
  Market." 
  (British 
  Birds, 
  vol. 
  

   iv., 
  p. 
  593.) 
  This 
  statement 
  cannot, 
  however, 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  

   altogether 
  conclusive. 
  The 
  mere 
  fact 
  of 
  seeing 
  them 
  in 
  

   Aberdeen 
  Market 
  does 
  not 
  prove 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  killed 
  on 
  

   Deeside. 
  

  

  Anser 
  segetum, 
  Gmelin. 
  Bean 
  Goose. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  a 
  regular 
  visitor 
  to 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Strathbeg 
  

   and 
  other 
  sheets 
  of 
  water 
  within 
  " 
  Dee 
  ; 
  " 
  but, 
  owing 
  to 
  

   their 
  extreme 
  watchfulness, 
  very 
  few 
  are 
  obtained. 
  When 
  

   the 
  period 
  of 
  migration 
  comes 
  round, 
  the 
  cry 
  of 
  the 
  Geese 
  

   is 
  to 
  be 
  heard 
  as 
  they 
  soar 
  above 
  in 
  flocks, 
  their 
  time 
  

   of 
  flight 
  being 
  generally 
  in 
  the 
  evening, 
  at 
  which 
  period 
  the 
  

   deep 
  guttural 
  notes 
  of 
  the 
  leading 
  gander, 
  as 
  the 
  flock 
  wings 
  

   its 
  flight 
  in 
  ever-changing 
  figures, 
  is 
  always 
  recognisable, 
  even 
  

   when 
  the 
  light 
  has 
  given 
  place 
  to 
  the 
  darkening 
  gloaming 
  and 
  

   the 
  birds 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  longer 
  seen. 
  During 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  

   September 
  and 
  October, 
  such 
  flocks 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  or 
  heard 
  

   as 
  they 
  pass 
  southwards 
  over 
  Aberdeen, 
  and 
  again, 
  less 
  

   frequently, 
  in 
  the 
  spring. 
  This 
  species 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  to 
  breed 
  

   with 
  us. 
  

  

  Anser 
  brachyrhynchus, 
  Baillon. 
  Pink-footed 
  Goose. 
  

  

  Edward, 
  in 
  his 
  " 
  Birds 
  of 
  Strathbeg," 
  Naturalist, 
  vol. 
  iv., 
  

   p. 
  240, 
  reports 
  a 
  fine 
  bird 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  killed 
  there 
  in 
  the 
  

   spring 
  of 
  1843, 
  "which 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  Pink-footed 
  

   Goose." 
  

  

  The 
  Rev. 
  W. 
  Serle 
  says 
  it 
  is 
  reported 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  under 
  

   consideration 
  " 
  has 
  been 
  shot 
  at 
  Peterhead 
  quite 
  recently." 
  

   "It 
  occurs 
  in 
  winter 
  in 
  suitable 
  localities 
  along 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   side 
  of 
  Scotland." 
  (Yarrell.) 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  last 
  week 
  of 
  March, 
  1896, 
  a 
  male 
  was 
  killed 
  at 
  Udny, 
  

   and 
  sent 
  to 
  me, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  later 
  three 
  others 
  were 
  

   obtained 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  place 
  ; 
  the 
  latter, 
  however, 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  

   see, 
  and 
  the 
  sex 
  was 
  not 
  ascertained. 
  For 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  

  

  