188 BULLETIN 130, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



quite common. It seems to be tamer than other species of geese 

 which visit that region; hence many are shot for the market and 

 quite a number have found their way into scientific collections. 

 Often the wing-tipped birds are kept in captivity and become easily 

 domesticated ; I have seen some interesting photographs illustrating 

 the tameness of such captured birds. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Breeding range. — Entirely unknown, probably on some unex- 

 plored Arctic lands. 



Winter range. — The main winter range is in California, in the 

 interior valleys (Sacramento and San Joaquin) and nearer the coast 

 farther south (Ventura and Orange Counties). A few may winter 

 occasionally in neighboring States or in Mexico, but probably only 

 casually. 



Spring migration. — Northeastward to the Athabasca-Mackenzie 

 region and beyond into Arctic regions. Early dates of arrival: 

 Montana, Lewistown, March 14; Oregon, Camp Harney, April 12; 

 Alaska, Wrangell, April 15; Mackenzie, Fort Andei-son, May 25. 

 Average dates of arrival in Montana are April 7 and 8 and of the 

 departure April 24. Later dates of departure: California, Merced 

 County, April 2; Montana, Teton County, May 8; Alberta, Atha- 

 basca River, June 4; Arctic coast, Kent Peninsula, June 2. 



Fall migration. — A reversal of the spring route. Early dates of 

 arrival: Great Slave Lake, September 1; Alberta, Buffalo Lake, 

 September 6; Montana, Columbia Falls, October 10; California, 

 Stockton, October 6; Utah, Bear River, October 22. Late dates of 

 departure: Alberta, Buffalo Lake, October 10 and Athabasca Lake, 

 October 18 ; Montana, Columbia Falls, October 28. 



Casual records. — Outside of regular migration, it has occurred 

 in Manitoba (Winnipeg, September 20, 1902), Louisiana (Little 

 Vermilion Bay, February 23, 1910), Arizona (Fort Verde, October 

 24, 1887), Mexico (Bustillos Lake, Chihuahua) and British Co- 

 lumbia (Comox, January, 1894, and Lumby, May, 1920). 



ANSER ALBIFRONS ALBIFRt)NS (Scopoli) 

 WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE 



HABITS 



Two forms of the white-fronted goose have long stood on our 

 Check List unchallenged — a smaller European form (albifrons) 

 and a larger American form {gambelli). The status of the Euro- 

 pean form as an American bird was based on a somewhat doubtful 

 record for eastern Greenland, where it was supposed to occur only 

 as a straggler. It was supposed to be entirely replaced in North 



