84 NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS IN ALASKA. 



the base of the bill the feathers are luixed blackish aud brown. Head aiul ueck pale browu, 

 lightest on the ueck. Back ashy brown, feathers edged with grayish brown. Rump dark brown. 

 The entire surface below is nearly uuiform pale dingy-brown, much darker on the sides. The bill 

 is dull yellowish, bordered around the gape, nostrils, and along the ridge of culmeii by dark horu 

 color. The iris is dark hazel, surrounded by a dull yellow membrane. Feet and tarsi dingy 

 yellowish. 



During Angust and September the geese aud many otlier-wild fowl in the north feed upon 

 the abundaut berries of that region aud become very fat and tender. All through September, 

 old and young, which have been on the wing siuce August, gather in larger flocks, aud as the sharp 

 frosts toward the end of September warn them of approachiug winter, commence moving south. 

 The marshes resonud with their cries, aud after some days of chattering, flyiug back aud forth, 

 aud a general bustle, they suddenly start off iu considerable flocks, and the few laggards which 

 remain get away by the 7th or 8th of October. 



Branta canadensis hutchinsii (Sw. & Rich.). Hutchins's Goose (Esk. Tn- 

 talJc-ko-cluk). 



The history of the present bird is but little knowu, aad most authors, since the time of the orig- 

 inal descriptiou, have referred to it under the name leticopareia. This must have been done iu every 

 "Case from lack of proper material, as I hope to show in the following notes. Although this bird is 

 one of the commonest species on the Lower Yukon, yet, strangely enough, iu their paper upon the 

 birds of Alaska, Messrs. Dall and Bannister did not record it from there, but simply note: "Two 

 specimens obtained by Bischoft'at Sitka." These specimens are really occidentalis. At the Yukon 

 mouth and in the vicinity of Saint Michaels, I found this species arriving with the smaller minima 

 at the same dates aud in about equal numbers at the Yukon month, but much less common at 

 Saint Michaels. From my observations 1 should decide the ceuter of abundance of this species 

 to be along the Lower Yukon and thence south to the Kuskoquim. Its distribution appears to 

 be less general than that of the smaller form, whose habits it shares. Iu examining the National 

 Museum series of geese I find examples from Northern Illinois which are identical with the sjteci 

 mens of hutchinsii from Alaska. In order to show the differences between the three forms as 

 plainly as possible, I give below a brief diagnosis of each, with measurements appended: 



Canaderms. — A typical specimen from Northeru Illinois. The well known, large, white cheek- 

 patches and black head and ueck need only be referred to ; the entire back, including exposed 

 leathers of folded wings, is dark-grayish brown edged with lighter. The rump is black with white 

 upper tail-coverts, which form a ring about the tail by joining the white of abdomen. The dark 

 color of the back reaches forward to the sharply-defined edge of the black on the neck. Entire 

 lower surface from the edge of the black on the ueck in frout to the white of abdomen, pale-grayish 

 brown, pretty well defined posteriorly by the white area which occupies the abdomen and under 

 tail-coverts. Tail-feathers, 16. 



Hutchinsii. — A series from Alaska, Califoruia, aud Northern Illinois. The uiaiu diftereuce be- 

 tween this form aud canadensis is the smaller size of the IVirinci. The color variations are mainly 

 limited to the abdomen aud throat. The dorsal surface of hutchinsii is like that of canadensis, 

 with no point of variation I can observe. Iu hutchinsii the black of head aud neck tends to as- 

 sume a glossier black, and the daik color very commonly encroaches upon the white cheek-patches, 

 frequently separating them by a broad, black throat-band. The main distinction, however, besides 

 the smaller size, is in the much lighter color of the lower surface. The white abdomiual area ex- 

 tends forward aud almost incloses the thigh iu some cases, and almost invariably there is no defi- 

 nite line of demarkation between the white aud brown areas. In addition, the grayish brown ot 

 the breast is very light, aud the encroachment of the white upon its posterior border gives a mot- 

 tled gray and white surface. In some instances the white of abdomen extends anterior to the 

 middle of the body. There is rarely any sign of a white collar at the base of the black on the 

 ueck either iu this or the preceding. Tail feathers, 16. 



jl/i«i«ifl.— Series from Alaska. Black of head and neck as in the preceding. The black en 

 croaches upon the white cheek-patches even more extensively than iu occidcnialis, and the black 

 line aloug the throat is sometimes very broad. The back is usually sotuewhat darker than iu 



