212 BULLETIN 130, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Mr. Henderson has given the following observation regarding the 

 young : 



On June 4, while walking up the river bank looking for bear, we met a 

 pair of geese and four goslings on shore and got within 20 yards before 

 they moved. The old birds made a great fuss and flew down to the foot of a 

 rapid and waited on the still water about 60 yards below. The goslings took 

 to the water, which was tumbling and boiling over the stones ; swimming and 

 diving, they went down the rapid, under water most of the time, and joined 

 their fond parents below. 



On the 28th, while walking up the gravel banks of the Third Battle, hunting 

 bear, I came on a pair of geese with six goslings, also three other geese about 

 100 yards upstream from them. The three geese flew on my approach, and 

 the female took her brood across the stream to about 30 yards distant. Her 

 mate went upstream, flopping along the water pretending to be crippled. He 

 would allow me to approach to about 40 yards and then flap along the water 

 again for a few yards and wait for me again. He repeated this performance 

 several times, until he thought he had enticed me far enough around the 

 next bend, when he had a marvelous recovery, flying away and giving me the 

 merry honk ! honk ! for being so easy. I am sure he enjoyed the ease with 

 which he fooled me, and I enjoyed watching him and letting him think so. 



Plumages. — The downy young when recently hatched is brightly 

 colored and very pretty. The entire back, rump, wings, and flanks 

 are "yellowish olive," with a bright, greenish-yellow sheen; a large 

 central crown patch is lustrous " olive " ; the remainder of the head 

 and neck is bright yellowish, deepening to " olive ocher " on the 

 cheeks and sides of the neck and paling to " primrose yellow " on the 

 throat ; the under parts shade from " deep colonial buff " on the 

 breast to " primrose yellow " on the belly ; the bill is entirely black. 

 Older birds are paler and duller colored, " drab " above and grayish 

 white below. 



When about 4 weeks old the plumage begins to appear, the body 

 plumage first and the wings last; they are fuJly grown when about 

 6 weeks old, and they closely resemble their parents in their first 

 plumage. There is, however, during the first summer and fall at 

 least a decided difference. The plumage of young birds looks softer 

 and the colors are duller and more blended. The head and neck 

 are duller, browner black ; the cheeks are more brownish white, and 

 the edges of the black areas are not so clearly cut ; the light edgings 

 above are not so distinct; and the sides of the chest and flanks are 

 indistinctly mottled, rather than clearly barred. During the fall 

 and winter these differences disappear by means of wear and molt, 

 so that by spring the young birds are practically indistinguishable 

 from adults. 



Food. — Canada geese live on a variety of different foods in vari- 

 ous parts of their habitat and at different seasons, but they seem to 

 show a decided preference for vegetable foods where these can be 

 obtained. They usually feed in flocks in certain favored localities 



