FAUNA OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AND ALASKA PENINSULA 69 



Kiska; 1 humerus from Atka; and 4 humeri from Attu. In 1936, 

 the Attu natives told us that black brant appear there occasionally 

 in the fall, sometimes in company with the emperor goose. 



Stejneger (1885) reported the species occuring sparingly in 

 the Commander Islands in migration. 



Philacte canogica: Emperor Goose 



Attu: Il-d-ghir-hch 

 Atka: Kd-ghu-mung 



Qdmgan (Jochelson) 



The emperor goose apparently does not commonly nest in 

 the Aleutian Islands, nor on the Alaska Peninsula, but at least 

 one record of nesting was established. During June 1925, a 

 Bureau of Fisheries boat had stopped for a short time at Amak 

 Island, on the way to Port Moller. The pilot informed me that 

 during that stop at least three pairs of emperor geese were seen. 

 On July 10, 1925, during a visit to Amak, I found the remains of 

 a young emperor goose in a bald eagle nest. The feet, stomach, 

 and numerous pinfeathers were present in the nest, and were 

 collected. This appears to be the southernmost nesting locality. 



The Aleutian district is certainly the principal wintering place 

 for emperor geese. We noted evidence of such occurrence and 

 obtained statements of natives and others who were familiar 

 with specific localities, and in 1941 and 1942 Gabrielson noted 

 them as plentiful at a number of the islands he visited in the 

 winter months. They are reported as spending at least a part 

 of the winter as far east as Port Moller, on the north side of the 

 peninsula, leaving when the ice formed but returning when the 

 water opened again. Some of these geese winter at Urilia Bay 

 on Unimak Island and on Izembek Bay; a few geese winter near 

 Chignik on the south side of Alaska Peninsula, and some of them 

 winter at Simeonof Island in the Shumagins. A banded bird was 

 recorded at King Cove in the fall of 1926. 



Turner (1886) makes the sweeping statement that these birds 

 winter on the south side of Alaska Peninsula and on offshore 

 islands as far east as Cook Inlet. Friedmann recorded bones of 

 this goose in all layers of Kodiak middens. Today, they are 

 less numerous along those shores, possibly because of the advent 

 of white men and an increased kill resulting from modern 

 weapons. 



Emperor geese are known to winter in some numbers in the 

 Sanak group. We found recent remains at Unalaska, June 3, 

 1936, and on Bogoslof Island, June 5, 1936. Eyerdam (1936) 



