examination of a fresh specimen. My principal acquaintance
with this Goose was formed upon the great
marshes of the lower Guadalquivir, where we met with
it in enormous numbers in February and March 1882.
In that district it is by far the most numerous, I might
almost say the only representative, of its family. I
have also met with it on the western shores of European
Turkey, but there it is not the prevalent species.
To those of my readers who are not acquainted with
this bird I may state that it is with good reason supposed
to be the original progenitor of our domestic race
of Geese, and very closely resembles its descendants in
plumage, pugnacity, and, as I have said, in voice. It
may be distinguished from all our other Wild Geese by
its superior size, and, with that premise, the white
“ nail ” of the beak and pale flesh-coloured legs. This
species still breeds in certain counties of Scotland and
some of the Hebrides, but is decreasing in numbers, and
many of these Geese have become semi-domesticated in
these districts.
Mr. A. Thorburn has very kindly, at my request,
furnished me with a few particulars relating to the
present bird, supplied to him by Mr. John A. Dixon,
of Inveran, Ross-shire, for my benefit. The latter
gentleman writes :—“ I am sorry to say that the Grey
Lag Goose is yearly becoming rarer in these parts; I
used to know of three or four lochs besides Loch Maree
where there was always a nest or two. Now I doubt
whether more than one or two pairs in all breed
annually in this neighbourhood. It is of course the
only really Wild Goose that nests in Britain. With
such a small stock it is difficult to speak certainly as to
migration. I doubt whether they do migrate, for I
have seen some about in almost every month of the
year. My own flock, most of which are practically
wild, never leave, or, rather, never have left, till this
summer (1893), when they were absent for two months;
but I ascertained that they were only at the other end
of Loch Maree, and they have all returned now (September
10, 1893). The perfectly Wild Grey-Lags all
nest on inland lochs, and when their young are able they
make their way to islands in the sea, whence they resort
to adjacent cultivated land or other spots where grass is
plentiful. Of course it is possible that some may go
south, especially from the Hebrides, in some parts of
which they are still rather more numerous. The flocks
of Wild Geese that we sometimes see passing here
appear to be either Pink-footed or White-fronted.
I thought that they wTere all the former, until on
February 23, 1893, I shot one which proved to be
White-fronted.”
For the origin of the term “ Lag ” as applied to this
species, I will merely say that it has obviously no connexion
with “ leg,” and has probably reference to the
former “ lagging ” of this species to breed in our fen-
districts, from which all the other species of Wild
Goose departed at the approach of summer. I quote
this, not quite verbatim, from the 4th edition of Yarrell.
This Goose is said to breed in Iceland, on the west
coast of Norway, in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia,
some parts of Germany, and very exceptionally in
Southern Spain. I have good reason to believe that it