1870.] REEKS — ON BIRDS OF NEWFOUNDLAND. 297 



is perhaps a regular summer migrant to Newfoundland I never 

 met with it, neither do I think it is the " Coot" of the settlers ; 

 if so, I know it is frequently confounded with Pelionetta perspi' 

 cillata (Linn.), the surf scoter. 



ANATIDiE. 



American Swan, Cygnus americanus ? Sharpless. — Apparently 

 a rare and accidental visitor to the western coast of Newfoundland: 

 I saw only one specimen, which was an adult bird flying south in. 

 the fall of 1867. 



Snow Goose, Anser hyperboreus, Pallas. — Very rare : I heard 

 of one or two being obtained in the north of the island, and an 

 equal number on the west coast. 



American Whiufrontecl Goosey A. gambeli, Hartlauh. — 

 Equally rare with the preceding, or perhaps more so. It seems 

 extraordinary that these two common species of American geese 

 should be so rare when we consider that Newfoundland, in one 

 place, is only, separated by twelve or fifteen miles of water from 

 the mainland. 



Canada Goose, Bernicla canadensis (Linn.) — A regular summer 

 migrant, and by far the most abundant species, arriving in April 

 and in May by "countless thousands," The majority pass on to 

 more northern regions to breed, although a great many remain for 

 that purpose in Newfoundland ; but, besides a general discrepancy 

 in size, I have almost invariably found the northern migrants of 

 this species much darker on the breast ; in fact, so much so, that we 

 used to call them the "little blackbreasted northerners." The 

 colour of the " down" appears a good distinction between the 

 sexes ; on the male it is light gray, and on the female dark gray, 

 almost black. This was pointed out to me by the settlers, who, 

 however, know how to separate the sexes by the shorter bill and 

 head of the goose. The Canada goose is greatly prized for the 

 table, and the settlers are adepts in " toling'' them within gunshot 

 in the spring of the year, but it cannot be done in the fall, or 

 during the autumnal migration : a dog is generally used for this 

 purpose. The sportsman secretes himself in the bushes or long 

 grass by the sides of any water on which geese are seen, and keeps 

 throwing a glove or stick in the direction of the geese, each time 

 making his dog retrieve the object thrown : this has to be repeated 

 until the curiosity of the geese is aroused, and they commence 

 swimming towards the moving object. If the goesc are a 



