Barrow's Golden-Eye (^cianiiitia ishuuUca) 



Range: Breeds from south central Alaska and northwestern Mackenzie to 

 southern ( )rcgf)n and soutlicrn Colorado, and fr(;ni northern Ungava to central 

 Quel)ec ; winters from southeastern Alaska, central Montana, the Great I^kes, 

 and (.iulf of St. Lawrence south to central ("alifornia, southern Colorado, Nebras- 

 ka, and Xcw England. 



The resemhlance which Ijarrcjw's golden-eye bears to the common whistler 

 is extraorilinarily close. The males, as a glance at the illustration will show, are 

 easily enough distinguished when close by, but to tell the females and young apart 

 with absolute certainty is impossible. It comes to us as a migrant in the late fall 

 and .sojourns along our northern borders, where it is often shot and sent to market 

 with the more numerous common whistler. 



Snow OoOSe iChcn hyperboreus hyperboreiis) 



Range: lireeds from the mouth of the Mackenzie east probably to Coronation 

 Gulf and Melville Island; winters from southern British Columbia, southern Colo- 

 rado, and southern Illinois south to northern Lower California, central Mexico, 

 Texas and Louisiana. 



For all practical purposes, the snow goose or white brant may be considered a 

 western bird. It is, however, so much like the greater snow goose, except in size, 

 that the eastern records of the two species are much confused, and it is difficult to 

 determine to which bird any particular account applies. Xo doubt varying num- 

 bers of the lesser snow goose used to visit the eastern states where, however, the 

 larger goose was and is more numerous. The smaller snow goose breeds in north- 

 ern latitudes, and in fall migrates in great numbers to our southwestern states. 

 In the early days of California it was no uncommon sight in winter to see stubble 

 fields and pastures so covered with white brant as to seem like great snow-fields. 

 .\nd very beautiful these snowy tracts appeared under the bright mid-winter sun 

 of California. The ranchmen, however, looked with no friendly eyes on these 

 multitudes of geese, since the tender leaves of wheat are greatly relished by them. 

 When they nip ofif the blades of the growing grain, little damage is done, and many 

 claim, indeed, that the crop stools the better for it. No doubt, however, great 

 damage sometimes resulted from too frequent cropping, and it was no uncommon 

 practice to hire men to ride from grain field to grain field and keep up a constant 

 fusillade to kill or scare away the geese. Though the multitudes of earlier days no 

 longer visit California, the bird is still numerous there. 



877 



