76 



NORTH AMERICAN DUCKS, GEESE, AND SWANS. 



records show that the Canada goose is among the most variable of 

 birds in the time of its arrival. This is natural, since its migration 

 seems to depend almost wholly upon the presence of open water, and 

 this varies much with the seasons. The record at Fort Simpson cov- 

 ers thirteen years between 1881 and 1891, and the average date of 

 arrival is April 28, with extremes of fifteen days from April 23 to 

 Maj^ 8. The average variation — the ''probable error" — in time of 

 arrival is 1.1 days, i. e., if the Canada goose is noted as arriving on a 

 certain date in any one year at that latitude the probability is that 

 this date is within 1. 1 days of the average date of arrival at that local- 

 ity. At Lac du Brochet Post, on Reindeer Lake, Saskatchewan, the 

 following are the dates when the first Canada goose was seen: 



1886 , Apr. 23 



1874 3Iay 5 



1875 May 11 



1876 May 8 



1877 Apr. 27 



1878 Apr. 19 



1879 Apr. 24 



1880. 

 1881. 

 1882. 

 1883. 



1884 . 



May 5 



May 4 



.May 3 



.Apr. 25 



.I\Iay 3 



1887. 



1888 



1889 



.May 3 

 .May 7 

 .Apr. 17 



1885 Apr. 29 



The average date of arrival is April 30', with extremes of twent}"- 

 four da3's from April 17 to Ma}^ 11. The average variation is 5.9 

 days. 



pjggs have been found in northern Indiana, southern Minnesota, 

 and central Wyoming the first week in Ma}^, and sometimes even in 

 April, and at Malheur Lake, Oregon, April 21. An earl}^ set was 

 found May 1 near the Saskatchewan, and one May 11 near the Red 

 Deer River, Alberta, but usually nesting in this district l)egins about 

 the middle of May, and at the northern limit of the range not uuich 

 before the middle of June. 



Bides of arrival in the fall of the Canada goose. 



Place. 



Prince Edward Isluiid 



Scotch Lakt', New Brunswick. 



Central Massachusetts 



Block Island, Rhode Island... 

 Montauk Point, Long Island.. 



Renovo, Pa 



Central Pennsylvania 



Central New .ler.sey 



Alexandria, Va 



Atlantic, N. C 



Anderson, S. C 



Chipley, Fla 



Aweme, Manitoba 



Central South Dakota 



Northern Nebraska 



Onaga, Kans 



Grapevine, Tex 



Central Wisconsin 



Central Iowa 



Keokuk, Iowa 



Wauseon, Ohio 



Central Indiana 



Northern Illinois 



Central Missouri 



Helena, Ark 



Southern Mississippi 



Num- 

 ber of 

 years' 

 record. 



3 

 5 

 7 

 9 

 4 

 8 

 14 

 16 



Average 



date of 



first one 



seen. 



Aug. 28 



Oct. 23 



Oct. 11 



Oct. 21 



Oct. 20 



Oct. 24 



Oct. 22 



Oct. 18 



Oct. 20 



Aug, 14 

 Sept. 23 



Oct. 7 



Oct. 18 



Oct. 9 



Oct. 12 



Oct. 14 



Oct. 8 



Oct. 20 



Oct. 19 



Oct. 13 



Oct. 4 



Oct. 4 



Nov. 12 



Earliest date 



of first one 



seen.. 



Aug. 



Oct. 



•Sept. 



Sept. 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Oct. 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Oct. 



Oct. 



Oct. 



Aug. 



Aug. 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Sept. 



Sept. 



Sept. 



Sept. 



Oct. 



Oct. 



Sept. 



Sept. 



Sept. 



Nov. 



22. 1889 

 21, 1902 



4. 1889 



27. 1898 

 30, 1888 



7,1901 

 15, 1894 

 23, 1897 



5, 18S8 



20. 1899 

 10, 1902 



8, iy02 



3. 1901 



20. 1890 

 7, 1888 

 3,1891 



30, 1904 

 30, 1892 



10. 1899 

 27, 1SJ5 

 10,1887 



6. 1902 

 28, 189.=) 



23. 1900 

 26, 1896 



5,1902 



