244 BIRDS IN THEIR RELATIONS TO MAN. 



mon than the goosander, particularly near the sea. Both of 

 these mergansers are good-sized birds, weighing from three to 

 four pounds, but they are ill-flavored and not generally rel- 

 ished as food. The hooded merganser is a handsome little 

 duck, bearing a high, fan-like crest the whole length of its 

 head. It shows a fondness for small streams and ponds, and 

 eats more or less insects, though small fish, tadpoles, etc., 

 make up the major part of its food. 



The American White-fronted Goose, best known towards 

 the Pacific coast, differs little from the European white- 

 fronted species, of which the ordinary tame goose is a 

 descendant. Its habits and qualities are similar to those of 

 the domestic bird. Two other species of equal worth are the 

 Snow-Goose, common in the interior, and the Canada or Wild 

 Goose. Canada geese have been crossed with the domestic 

 breed with good results, the hybrid being considered more 

 hardy than the common stock. The Brant-Goose is a mari- 

 time variety, more abundant on the Atlantic coast than 

 elsewhere, though it is sometimes found inland. It feeds on 

 shell-fish and other marine products, both animal and vege- 

 table. Its flesh is not much esteemed. 



The swans do not differ materially from geese, either in 

 food or flesh. They are wary creatures, rare in the East and 

 nowhere abundant, breeding in high latitudes and appearing 

 in the United States only during the winter. 



The Trumpeter Swan is found from the Mississippi Valley 

 westward, Avhile the other species, the Whistling Swan, reaches 

 the Atlantic coast as far north as New Jersey. Of the two 

 kinds of swans seen in captivity, the white one comes from 

 England, where it has lived in royal favor for centuries, and the 

 black variety is brought from Australia, where it still exists in 



a wild state. 



the gannets. 



The gannets are large marine birds, goose-like in size and 

 contour, which as they fly seek their fuiny victims and take them 



