CAPE BAKREN GOOSE. 
same bird spoken of in the Introduction, page cxxxv., as resembling the bernacle 
goose, and frequenting Eurneaux’s Islands in Bass Strait.” A footnote reads : 
“ This goose is described by M. LabiUardiere, page 258 of the London transla- 
tion, as a new species of swan.” On p. 87 Flinders added, referring to Middle 
Island, in the same group : “ AmPngst the grass and upon the shores were a 
number of the bernacle goose, of which we killed nine, mostly with sticks ; and 
sixteen more were procured in the course of the day.” 
After having circumvented Australia, Flinders on May 17, 1803, anchored 
once more at Goose Island “ for refreshments,” and on p. 266 we read : “In 
the morning (May 18) a party of men was sent to kill geese and seals upon 
the rocky islets to the eastward. . . . We remained here three days, cutting 
wood, boiling down seal oil and killing geese: but our success in this last 
occupation was very inferior to what it had been in January, 1802, no more 
than twelve geese being now shot, whereas sixty-five had then been procured.” 
The footnote by Flinders refers to the Voyage in Search of La Perouse : 
in the English translation of Labillardiere’s work I have access to I find in 
Vol. I., on p. 447 : “ On the same island there was a numerous flock of swans, 
several of which allowed themselves to be taken by the hand ; but the rest, 
apprized of the danger, immediately flew away. This new species is some- 
what smaller than our wild swan, and of an ash-coloured grey, a little lighter 
on the belly. The bill is blackish, with a tumour of sulphur-yellow at its base. 
The legs are slightly tinged with red.” 
This was published in 1800 and refers to an island off Cape Leeuwin, 
West Australia, visited in December, 1792. This would appear to be the first 
notice of this bird in print, and probably also refers to its first discovery. 
In the French edition of Labillardiere’s work the swan is called “ Cygne 
cendre.” Vieillot, in the Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat, Vol. IX., p. 39, 1817, wrote: 
“ C’est le jeune du precedent,” the last word referring to Oygnus atratus 
Vieillot = Ghenopis atrata (Latham), the Black Swan. Then in Vol. XXIII. 
of the same work, p. 336, 1818, Vieillot described the present bird upder the 
name Anser griseus, noting : “ Cette oie fait partie du Museum d’Histoire 
naturelle : elle y ^ ete deposee par M. de LabiUardiere, qui, lors du voyage a 
la recherche de M. de Lapeyrouse, I’a trouvee k la Terre de Diemen.” The 
probability is, however, that the bird did not come from Van Diemens Land 
( = Tasmania) but was the one described by LabiUardiere from West Australia. 
MacLaine {Emu, Vol. III., p. 63, 1903) wrote : “ A curious feature about 
these birds is that, although webfooted, they are never seen swimming, except 
when wounded or too young to fly. They are very suspicious, and one must 
be careful not to touch their nests or handle the eggs if wishing to obtain 
a clutch of goslings from them. People have taken eggs out of a nest, and 
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