FAUNA OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AND ALASKA PENINSULA 73 

 Mortality Factors 



At Sanak Island, a resident declared that one winter he 

 found 15 dead emperor geese on the beach. Although he thought 

 that the deaths were caused by the frozen condition of the fresh- 

 water creeks, the precise mortality factor here must remain 

 unknown. 



Among the natural enemies of the emperor goose is the bald 

 eagle. However, there is no evidence that the eagle materially 

 affects the goose population. 



Anser albifrons: White-fronted goose 

 Anser albifrons frontalis 



Attu : Kog-a-la-gich 



Russian, latitudes of the Yana: Kasorka (Pleske) 



Bones of white-fronted geese are recorded by Friedmann in 

 middens on Kodiak, Amaknak, Little Kiska, and Attu Islands. 

 The Attu natives informed us that they have seen these geese 

 in September; but they stated that the sightings are rare and 

 that these geese do not winter there. Stejneger (1887) stated 

 that occasionally these geese visit Bering Island in spring migra- 

 tion. Turner did not observe this species in the Aleutian Islands. 

 In 1925, I learned of a trapper at False Pass who had a white- 

 fronted goose in captivity; he had caught the goose at St. Cath- 

 erine Cove during the previous autumn. Residents of the area 

 stated that this goose is very scarce around the west end of 

 Alaska Peninsula. 



The white-fronted goose is a rare migrant in the Aleutian 

 chain; therefore, Turner (1886) no doubt was partly right when 

 he said, "They probably never visit the islands lying west of the 

 mainland, as that region does not contain their particular food 

 in sufficient quantity to induce them to visit it." His further 

 statement that the Russians at St. Michaels referred to it as the 

 ^un-dri-na goose, or lowland goose, is further explanation of its 

 scarcity in the Aleutians, where most of the land is rugged. 

 Farther east along the Alaska Peninsula, however, suitable 

 ground is available, and we found nesting birds on the tide flats 

 at Ugashik River. On May 27-29, 1936, at least six pairs were 

 noted in that area. 



Osgood (1904) records that he saw these birds at the base of 

 Alaska Peninsula in 1902 ; he frequently saw them on the Chulitna 

 River in early August, saw one on the Mulchatna River on 

 September 3, and on the trip from the Mulchatna River to 

 Nushagak he saw a considerable number of these birds each 

 day. 



