46 
THE BEBNACLE. 
White-faced Bernacle. 
Anser bernicla, Elem. 
„ leucopsis, Beclist. 
Is a regular winter visitant to the coast. 
The food of this bird being different from that of the brent goose, 
the haunts of the two species are wholly distinct. The extensive 
sandy coast exposed by the receding tide, bordered by short 
pasture, or having islets of this nature rising here and there 
above its level surface, is the favourite abode of the bernacle. 
The brent goose, on the contrary, revels in the soft oozy bays 
where the Zostera marina , or grass-wrack, grows profusely, and on 
it alone is content to feed. 
The greatest haunt of the bernacle known to me is an immense 
shallow sandy bay, on the coast of Louth, bordered by an extensive 
tract of pasture and marshy ground, called Lurgan Green. Erom 
this locality the bird takes its name, and is called the Lurgan Green 
bernacle over a considerable part of the island, to distinguish it 
from the brent goose, which bears the simple appellation of the 
bernacle. The latter bird is generally highly esteemed in Ireland 
for the table, while the former is not at all relished. Yet, in other 
places, it is so. Mr. Selby, writing from Northumberland, says, 
“its flesh is sweet and tender and highly esteemed ” (p. 269). 
The author of 'Wild Sports of the West' bears his testimony to 
what he terms “ land bernacle” being “ very delicious when kept 
a sufficient time after being shot, before the cook transfers them 
to the spit” (p. 292). To quote further from this work, it is said 
of “the barnacle,” meaning most probably, from the great num- 
bers seen, the brent goose, — “ I saw a considerable extent of 
sand literally black with this migratory tribe : they come here in 
immense multitudes, but, from their coarse and fishy flavour, 
afford little occupation to the water shooter. The land barnacles 
are less numerous, although they are found in tolerable abundance. 
