BIRDS OF DUMFRIESSHIRE 249 
one of the Scotch fowlers, to whom I had written to describe 
the bird, and say that it was ' wanted.' "* Personally, I 
cannot see what possible motive John Hepburn could have 
had in telling Mr. R. Service what H. A. Macpherson plainly 
suggests was untrue ; and therefore I consider that I am 
justified in including this species in my list. 
Mr. L. E. Hope writes me from CarHsle concerning a flock 
of forty birds seen near Annan, on or about January 2nd, 
1909, and said to have been Snow-Geese : " Mr. Marjoribanks 
in company with Mr. Graham, of Edmond Castle, Cumber- 
land, was on the golf hnks at Powfoot (Cummertrees) and saw 
the birds flying from the Solway, circle once or twice over 
the links and then fly off north. They saw the black 
primaries distinctly against the white of the body and are 
sure they were not swans on that account. I have had 
no confirmation of the occurrence." I wrote to Mr. 
Marjoribanks, who, in his reply, said that he saw these 
birds on January 2nd or 4th, that the flock numbered from 
thirty to forty, that they came from the direction of Annan 
and flew off towards the west, and that he and Mr. Graham 
were within two hundred and fifty yards of the birds when 
they were circling round the golf links. Quite independently 
Mr. G. R. Murray informed Mr. R. Service that he believed 
that he saw a flock of forty Snow-Geese on the Dee near 
Parton (Kirkcudbright) on February 13th or 14th, 1909, 
and this is the only confirmatory evidence I have been able 
to obtain in support of the alleged recent occurrence of the 
species in our waters. 
The summer-home of the Snow-Goose is in the Arctic 
regions of North America, and it but rarely visits the countries 
of northern Europe. 
[A pair of Red-breasted Geese (Bernida ruficollis 
(Pallas) ) were reportedf as having been seen in March and 
AprO, 1909, by Mr. James Wilson; who stated that he was 
* Fauna of Lakeland, 1892, p. 243. 
t Dumfries Courier and Herald, May 12th, 1909. 
