212 
THE BIRDS OF HAMPSHIRE. 
Again, on April ist, 1839, at Longparish, he says: — 
" Seven wild geese were seen flying over to-day," and on 
the next day, swallows having been seen, he remarks : — 
" A curious circumstance — grey geese and swallows in the 
country at the same time." 
161. Anser albifrons. White-fronted Goose. 
A winter visitor. 
This is now the commonest of the grey geese which 
visit the coasts of the mainland and Isle of Wight in 
winter. They stray frequently inland, remaining for some 
time in spots where they are undisturbed, and where 
food attracts them. 
Hawker, however, says in his " Instructions to Young 
Sportsmen," " they were quite unknown to gunners on the 
Hampshire coast till the frost of 1830, and he has seen 
none there since that year ; then about eighty pitched in 
a field close to Milford, and some were shot." In his 
" Diary," under January 15th, at Keyhaven, he thus refers 
to them — " I saw eleven of such birds as I never saw 
before I bagged four in all. They proved to be 
four white-fronted geese. The most beautiful fowl that 
I ever saw brought home for a cabinet." 
Under January i6th, 1830 — "I had just time to 
swallow my dinner and bustle off after about fifty more of 
these extraordinary outlandish geese. I put both barrels 
into them, and picked up twelve white-fronted geese." 
On January 22nd, 1830 — "The next shot was at nine 
of the outlandish geese, but I only got two of these white- 
fronted geese " ; and again on January 29th — " Captain 
