One of my notes descriptive of their mode of flight, &c., may be copied :-March 9, 1839. Day beautifully bright, but very cold, and the wind east. I saw, on the Antrim shore of Belfast Bay, a very large flock of brent geese, apparently from 700 to 800, first on wing, forming a "long, drawn-out" body, and then alighting. The mingling notes of those on the water, and of the others still on wing, but crowding down to join them, was so like the cry of a pack of hounds, that it would have deceived any one who knew not whence it really proceeded. As my walk was continued, there was a constant succession of bodies of these birds of from ten to twenty-five flying to join the main phalanx, until probably not less than a thousand were assembled together ;—a number not greater than I had frequently observed here before. The whole of them looked beautiful on wing. When seen backed by the sky, the black and the white portions of the body were distinctly apparent ;-when their backs were turned towards me they seemed all black, and their whole form was distinctly marked; but in another aspect, and with the land of the opposite shore as a back-ground, they all shone merely white, the lower portion of their plumage of that colour being alone visible. The great flock did not long remain stationary, but rose en masse and flew towards the entrance of the bay until entirely lost to view. The appearance of the flock, though generally irregular, and "floating in fragments" through the air-their ordinary manner of flight-occasionally exhibited a series of lines, all of which became darker towards the front, reminding me of water-spouts darkening towards the end before they burst. The broken, irregular flight of a great body of brent geese has more than once called to my mind Moore's lines, "When heaven's rack, 'twixt earth and sky, Their call is commented on in another note :-April 2, 1837. I observed, to-day, when near low water, several hundred brent geese standing on the ooze at the edge of the retiring waves like a flock of 'waders.' They were calling at the time, and, when they rose on wing, continued their notes in the air, as they likewise did after having settled on the water. The rushing sound this flock produced when rising at about a mile distance from me, resembled some "elemental war." Their call, as heard at two miles' distance, was quite loud. Audubon remarks :-"As to its cry, although I have often seen hundreds of individuals at a time, I have not been able to tune my ears so as to liken its cacklings to the sounds produced by a pack of hounds in full cry,' as alleged by Wilson"* (vol. v. p. 24). True, when the cry is borne directly to one from a flock of birds swimming in order, it is not sufficiently varied to be musical; but when the birds are veering about on wing, or swimming in different directions, it strongly resembles what Wilson has compared it to. But I shall call a witness in favour of the statement, that, under cross-examination, will not break down. March 8, 1840; a delightful, warm, calm day: on riding from Belfast to Holywood at high water, birds of various species were abundant. Opposite Clifden, and very near the shore, were perhaps 500 brent geese in a flock, keeping up their usual concert, like the music of a pack of hounds in full cry. The moment that, borne on the gentle gale, my horse heard it, he became quite impatient, as hunters do on hearing the hounds at a distance, and continued very spirited and restless so long as he was within hearing of the sound; just as he would have done had it proceeded from a genuine pack. Thus have we the acute hearing of the horse bearing testimony to the resemblance; and this sense in the quadruped is superior to that of his lord and master-Man. I have often, when going to join the hounds, had evidence of this, as on gaining the ridge of hill that overlooked the hunting ground a few miles distant, our horses indicated that they recognized the cry before we did ourselves. I do not remember having been in any other instance on horseback within hearing of "the cry" of the brent geese. The rate of swimming of these birds is quick. Once, when walking along the side of the bay, and a flock of about 300, not * Wilson also alludes to their "honking" voice, which, in the north of Ireland, is called "cronkin," both words representing the sound produced. far off, swam in a direction parallel to that in which I proceeded, I was surprised to find that their progression, when quite at ease and undisturbed, considerably exceeded mine; it could not have been less than about four Irish miles an hour-my rate of walking at the time being three of these miles. When their speed was increased by seeing the small old-fashioned shooting cot approaching, they swam faster than it could be "set on them." January 1847.-The following information was communicated to me respecting the brent goose at Larne Lough, where it is numerous during winter. Every evening, at this season, they fly down the lough to remain on the deep water near its entrance or outside, in the open sea, for the night. After sun-rise-the sun being always up before they leave-they invariably fly up the lough to their day station. Later in the season, they all betake themselves out to sea in the evening, and every morning then, a line of boats containing shooters is stationed at regular intervals across the narrowest part of the entrance of the lough (at the ferry), to intercept them in their flight. The water is rarely too rough for this proceeding, the boats being often almost invisible among the breakers. Notwithstanding this daily practice of the shooters, the birds always take the same course of flight, above the water, but generally keep so high that not many are killed from the boats. Once only has my informant observed the brent goose to feed by night here, when a few birds out of a flock were so noticed by moonlight. During the last week of this month (January, 1847), brent geese were very numerous and tame, both in Larne and Belfast loughs, though the weather at the time, as well as that preceding and subsequent to it, was fine. They appeared in such long, solid masses, as to be compared to highways on the water. At such times, the fowler speaks of shooting "along a mile of them." They were higher up both loughs at night than previously known to be, and, in the latter estuary, approached within about two furlongs of the quays of the town. Seventy-nine birds were killed here during the week by a wild fowl shooter, fourteen of which fell at one shot. Fifteen were at the same time obtained at a shot, in Larne Lough, by another fowler. In Strangford Lough, the person first alluded to, procured twenty-three at one discharge of his swivel-gun, in the winter of 1843; in January 1848, thirty were thus laid low, twenty-five only of which were bagged, as the great black-backed, and herring gulls secured their share of those which fell wounded or dead at a distance. Above thirty lay upon the water after a shot by him there, in December, that year, though only twenty-three were picked up, as it was growing dark at the time, and the wounded, hurrying to rough water, escaped. Twenty-six wigeon were bagged by him from one shot, the same week. Thirty-two brent geese have been obtained at a shot in Larne Lough. Shooters waiting at night on the borders of this lough until the flowing tide brings wigeon within shot of them, have occasionally killed brent geese, thus brought within range. In the winter of 1842-43, Buckle (well-known to the readers of Colonel Hawker's work on Shooting) killed twenty-five of these birds at a shot with his punt-gun in Dingle Bay, Kerry. Winged brent geese flock together, and it is difficult to separate them. Those struck by the shot from a swivel-gun, no matter how far apart, swim towards each other, and move off in a flock, which is not easily broken up. When they become so by a chace from a boat, or otherwise, as many as can succeed in keeping toge-. ther still do so. They hasten to the deep water when wounded, and never attempt to dive until the last extremity, such as being struck at with an oar. They are indifferent divers, and remain but a short time under water. When disabled birds were much fired at with the old flint locks they dived from the flash of the pan. The food contained in brent geese from the loughs of Larne, Belfast, and Strangford, examined by myself, was always Zostera, of which were portions of the leaf from one to two feet in length, as well as of the root: in addition to the plant there was always sand. An observant shooter and bird-preserver,* who has looked to the food in a considerable number of these geese, never found * Mr. Darragh; to whom I am indebted for various particulars respecting the brent goose. anything but Zostera. This was generally in pieces about a foot in length, which, when so long, were always folded neatly up, sometimes as much so as a ribbon, but short pieces were not so arranged. He well remarks that they must fold this narrow leaf with the tongue, and that it is a nice provision of nature to enable them to swallow such food with convenience: he has found it in the folded shape in the throat.* Until November, these birds are not much sought after for the table in Belfast. They have been becoming gradually cheaper of late years. In the winters of 1843 and 1844, I noted them, as generally sold in the shops, at 2s. a bird, but as formerly dearer, and that the shooters then obtained from 1s. 3d. to 1s. 6d. each for them;-in the winters of 1848 and 1849, 1s. was about the usual sum they received. Brent geese vary much in size and weight. Mr. Jenyns remarks that "the young of the year" have no white on the side of the neck, and Mr. Yarrell says, little or none. In their infancy such may be the case; but to the young of the year, as this term is understood by ornithologists, it is not applicable. I do not remember ever to have seen one from the end of August, when they are first killed, without some indication of white on the sides of the neck, where, in adult birds, the patch of this colour is conspicuous and well-marked. By much the greater proportion of brent geese killed here, especially early in the season, are the young of the year. Looking to this point particularly in 1840, it was noted under the 2nd of November, that although for the last six weeks these birds were constantly on sale, I had not seen an adult until that day: on the 9th of the month, three out of four which I saw hanging at a shop-door were old birds. Montagu states :-" We are informed some of these birds breed in Ireland." I have not seen any record to that effect, but am credibly informed that, about thirty years ago, one pair built a nest on Swan Island, Larne Lough, in which eggs were laid, * March 1850. I examined a number of folded pieces of the Zostera from a brent goose (taken from the throat to the stomach inclusive), and found the longest piece to be 18 inches; its breadth was of an inch. Wilson, in his American Ornithology,' remarks that "their principal food is a broad-leaved marine plant, but that they also eat small shell-fish" (vol. iii. p. 166). |