ANATTDJ3— THE SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS. 125 



Branta bernicla (Linn.) 



BRANT. 

 Pouular synomyms. Brant Gooso; Brent Goose; Common Brant. 



Anas bernicla Linn. S. N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 124; ed. 12, i, 1766, 198-Wils. Am. Orn. viii, 1814, pi. 

 72, fig. 1. 

 Anser bernicla Illig. Prodr. 1811, 277,-Sw. & RicttJ'. B.-A. ii, 1&31,469.-Nutt. Man. 

 ii, 1834, 359. -Aud. Orn. Biog. v. 1839, 21, 610, pi. 39flpfcynop. 1839, 272; B. Am. vi, 1SI3, 

 203, pi. 379. 

 Branta bernicla Scopoi.i.A.mi.I. Hist. Nat. 1769, 67— BANNiST.Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 

 1870, 131.-Coues, Key, 1872,284; Check List, 1873, No. 484; B. N. W. 1874.55G.-A. <>. 

 U. Check List, 1886, No. 173.-Ridgw. Man. N. Am. B. 1887,118. 

 A nser brenta Pall. Zoog. Rosso. -As. ii, 1826, 223. 



Bernicla brenta Stephens, Gen. Zool. xii, pt. ii, 1821, 46.— Baied, B. N. Am. 1858, 767; 

 Cat. N. Am. B. 1859.No. 570.— Ridgw. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 595— Coues, Check 

 List, 2d ed. 1882, No. 700. -B. B. & R. Water B. N. Am. i, 1881, 467. 

 Anser torquata Fkisch, Vug. Deutschl. ii.pl. 156. 

 Bernicla mela ,, opis MACGlLL.Man. Orn. ii, 1842, 151. 



Hab. Eastern North America in general, but chiefly the Atlantic coast ; rare in the in- 

 terior, or away from salt water; breeds in hyporborean latitudes. Palaearcl ie Regii m. 



Sp. Chab. Adult (No. 63,616. New York market: J. H. Batty). Head, neck, and chest 

 continuous black, the anterior portion of the head having a brownish cast ; posterior out- 

 line of the black on the chest very regular and sharply-defined against the brownish gray 

 of i he breast. Middle of the neck with a t ransverse crescentic patch of white on each side, 

 Eormed of white tips and sub-tips <>f the feathers, the black showing through in places so 

 o form oblhiue lines. Above,' smoky- slate, the fea'hers distincly bordered termi- 

 nally with a much paler and more brownish shade. Wings like the back, but with a -ome- 

 whatless brownish cast, the paler margins nearly obsolete Secondaries blackish brown; 

 primaries brownish black. Tail uniform black, but almost concealed by the snow-v 

 lengthened coverts, the uppor of which, however, are invaded by a median stripe of black- 

 ish brown from the rump, in east, abdomen, sides, ami Hanks much like the upper parts, 

 bu1 the light tips to the feathers whiter, broader, and more conspicuous; anal region an. I 

 crissum immaculate pure white. Wing, 12.30 inches; culmon, 1.20; tarsus, 2.05; middle 

 l.Tn. 



Young (No. 12,786, Washington. D. G, Decomber, 1X58: C. Deexleb). Similar to tho 

 adult, but the wing-coverts and secondaries broadly tipped with pure white, formingvery 

 conspiouous bars. Lower parti paler and more uniform; white on middle of the neck re- 

 duced to small sp 



The Branl is chiefly a salt-water species, and therefore not 

 often see n in tin- interior, though, as Professor Cooke, in his 

 "Bird Migration in tin- Mississippi Valley" (|>. 78) has correctly 

 st Mini, "there is much uncertainty in using the records concern- 

 ing this species, because it is so commonly confounded with the 

 Snow Goose, which is locally known as Branl nil through the 

 West. From the few records thai can be depended on it would 

 seem to have migrated a1 aboul tin- same time as Brcmta >;/,,- 



Professor Cookesays thai "duringthe winter of L883 84 this 



s|M'ri.'s was represented from Illinois southward by a i'ow rare 



