BIRDS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE 241 
William Hastings, who was the principal taxidermist 
in the district tiU his death in 1893, told Mr. R. Service 
that he had occasionally during his lifetime received speci- 
mens of the Grey Lag-Goose for preservation.* In 1880 
wild-geese arrived at the Solway Firth in the closing days 
of September, and their arrival had never been known earlier • 
these geese Mr. R. Service beHeved to have been Grey 
Lags.f The same observer, writing of a bird of this species 
shot at Kelton (Dumfries) on November 7th, 1895, says 
that it is " by far the rarest of the Grey Geese that frequent 
our shores and estuaries in winter. ... Its occurrence is 
always noteworthy."J Mr. Hugh Mackay writes me that 
when he was in Dumfries (1893-1895) he received one or 
two Grey Lag-Geese for preservation. In 1897 this species 
IS recorded as more numerous than usual on the Solway 
shores,§ and Mr. R. Service states that in 1900-1901 the 
geese were nearer the estuary of the Nith than usual, and 
that on some occasions a thousand birds could be seen 
sitting or flying together. All the birds he handled were 
Grey Lags, and he adds : " In quite recent years all the geese 
were Bean Geese, and a Grey Lag was but seldom got "|| 
Two years later he states : " The Bean Goose was formerly 
the prevailing 'grey goose,' now the Grey Lag pre- 
dominates."TI In 1909 he writes me: ''Lately I have 
handled a good many grey geese, and they are all 
Grey Lags. This is starthng in view of the fact that up tiU 
a very few years ago, one could not get a grey goose that 
was not a Bean or a Pink-foot, and now these last are all 
displaced." 
There are no records of Grey Lag-Geese having been killed 
tar inland, though these birds are often seen flying over- 
* R. Service, MS. Diary, October 9th, 1886. 
t Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. Olasg., 1881, Vol. V., p. 60. 
X Dumfries Courier and Herald, December 18th, 1895. 
§ Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1897, p. 192. 
II Op. cit.y 1901, p. 80. 
t Op. cit., 1902, p. 120. 
K 
